Regrets
by carbonn15
Summary: What if you were trying to help the ones that you care about, your friends, but instead, pushed the one you love further away than you could ever imagine? So far, that they do something unthinkable. You are driven to rage, to anger, to hate. You allow it to control you...in doing so, you hurt your best friend. The hole grows deeper...will you ever see the light again? ON HIATUS
1. Misunderstood

**Hey, everyone! As this is my first ever post on Fanfiction, I thought that I would briefly introduce myself. I'm carbonn15, and I am really excited to have people finally read my work! I will be posting primarily PAW Patrol related content; any other info about me will be in my "about" section as soon as I get around to it. Anyways, this story will focus mainly on ChasexSkye, but there are signs of affection from the various other pups scattered throughout (like brotherly love and whatnot) . I have the first several chapter written out in advance (just for planning purposes) , and now that summer's finally here, I will try to post an update every other day. That's enough jibber-jabber from me-enjoy the story!**

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day in Adventure Bay, and all the pups were outside. Marshall, Rubble, Rocky, and Zuma were playing a game of volleyball, while Chase and Skye were sitting together underneath a tree.

"It's such a beautiful day today," Skye sighed pleasantly.

"Yeah," Chase agreed, "the perfect day to be together." He leaned over to her and nuzzled her cheek. They sat quietly, enjoying each other's company, and watching the other pups play.

As they looked on, they saw Marshall serve the ball, sending it sailing over the net. Zuma leaped up, intending to return the serve, but Rubble, on Zuma's team, was unaware of his plans. As Zuma came back down, Rubble ran right underneath him. Zuma landed on top of Rubble, and he immediately winced as his paw was stuck under Rubble.

From over by his tree, Chase saw Rubble stuck underneath Zuma after he fell on top of him.

"Skye, I should check to see if they're okay!" he told her.

"Oh, Chase, you're such a good friend to them!" Skye replied, smiling. "Always wanting to make sure they're safe. Go on, no need to wait for me!"

Chase gave a nod and turned to run over to the injured pups.

"Whoa! Are you guys okay?" Chase asked with concern.

"Oof, I landed pretty hard on my tummy, and it really hurts!" Rubble whined.

"Well how do you think my paw feels being stuck underneath that big tummy of yours?" Zuma remarked.

"Rocky, you go tell Ryder what happened. I'm gonna go get my medical gear," Marshall instructed.

"I can watch over them until you and Ryder get back," Chase offered.

"Thanks, Chase. Be right back." Amd with that, Marshall bounded off to his ambulance.

That left Rubble, Zuma, and Chase.

"So what exactly happened?" Chase inquired.

"Well, Mawshall hit the ball and I was twying to jump up and hit it back, but Wubble got in the way and I fell on him," Zuma told him.

"I didn't know you were going to jump for the ball, so I ran over in case you couldn't hit it," Rubble said.

"Rubble, if you would've stayed on your side of the court, you wouldn't have been in Zuma's way. And Zuma, you should've communicated to him that you had the ball, so he could've backed away. That's why games have rules, to make sure that no one gets hurt." Chase explained.

"Thanks for the lesson, dude, but we're still huwt over hewe." Zuma huffed.

"Yeah, why do you have to tell us what we did wrong? It didn't make me feel any better," Rubble agreed.

"I told you what you did wrong so it doesn't happen again, so you don't get hurt again," Chase tried to justify.

"Did someone say hurt?"

EMT Marshall suddenly rushed over with his medical pup pack.

"Arf! X-ray screen!"

His pup pack opened up and the screen popped out in front of him. He assessed Rubble first.

"Hmm, seems like you look fine. No injuries to report," he said as he passed the screen across his belly.

"Heh heh, must've been the extra big breakfast I had this morning. It was like a big pillow!" Rubble chuckled.

"If it still hurts later, you should take it easy and rest up for a while," Marshall stated. "Ok, now we can see how your paw looks, Zuma."

Zuma stuck his paw out and Marshall scanned it.

"Well, Rubble's big belly squished your paw and sprained it, so we'll need to wrap that up. Arf! Bandages!"

A roll of bandages popped out from his pup pack and he grabbed it with his mouth. After a few minutes, Marshall had Zuma's paw all wrapped up.

"Try not to use it too much, and get plenty of rest," Marshall told him.

"Thanks, dude," Zuma smiled.

"You should probably have someone help you get inside," Marshall suggested to him. "Chase, wanna lend a paw?"

"Sure, Marshall," he answered.

Rubble walked and Zuma hobbled over to the Lookout, with Chase offering a shoulder for Zuma to lean on. As they were entering, Rocky walked out with Ryder.

"Hey, Zuma. Hey, Rubble. Rocky told me you guys had an accident playing volleyball. What happened?" Ryder inquired.

"Well, sir," Chase started, "Zuma and Rubble weren't communicating properly, and Rubble didn't stay on his half of the court, so they collided and Zuma landed on top of Rubble."

"Hey, dude, accidents happen. Even when you're following the rules!" Zuma retorted.

"Chase, Zuma's right. Just because someone gets hurt doesn't mean that they aren't listening to the rules," Ryder explained.

"But Ryder, sir, I saw it happen. There was an apparent lack of rule-following."

"Give it a west (rest), dude. Me and Rubble just need some chill time," Zuma said plainly.

"Chase, I need to look after them, so in the meantime, try to find something else to do," Ryder said, slightly irritated.

"Yes, sir," Chase responded in a defeated tone.

He walked back to the tree to rejoin Skye, but saw a displeased look on her face.

"Skye, what's wrong?" he questioned.

"I didn't like the way you bossed the other pups around," she said.

"I wasn't bossy," he immediately denied, "I was trying to teach them the right way to play."

"There is no right way to play, as long as everyone has fun," she stated.

"Even if they get hurt because of it?" Chase retorted sarcastically.

Skye paused for a moment, then said, "Do you even care about what I'm saying?"

"Rules are there so-." He was abruptly cut off by Skye.

"You are so bossy, not caring about me and the other pups," she spat. "Can you stop for one measly second and just think about something besides yourself?"

"But, Skye, I-I, I-I,"

"NO! You can't! And until you can, we're through!" Skye exploded.

"Wait...what?" Chase asked suddenly, remorse and sadness on his face.

"You heard me, mister! We-Are-Through." She turned her back on him and walked away, tail up.

Chase was left alone, by himself, wondering what just happened. He dropped his ears and began to whimper.

"But...I do care about them."

He didn't know what to feel...anger, sadness, hate, rejection. Right now, though, all he could do was cry.


	2. Friend

**Wow! I never would've expected such a great response from the first chapter! To all of those who came out and read it, thank you very much. The reviews that I'm getting are all positive so far, so that's another plus :-D . I plan for this story to be about 10-15 chapters, but I oftentimes like to put a number to something and just totally overshoot it :-P. We'll see what happens though! As a new writer, i have a question for you guys: would you rather have me post a chapter for this story every day, or should i post every other day, and start another story for on those off days between chapters? Please pm me or drop a review with any suggestions! Without further ado, here's Chapter 2!**

* * *

(Scene has shifted, with Skye now joining the other pups in the Lookout)

"Why does Chase have to be like that?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, dude," Zuma agreed. "It's not cool to boss evewyone around."

"I don't know what's gotten into him," Skye shook her head while looking down at the ground. "I mean, he's always liked to enforce the rules, but never anything like today. Today, he took it too far."

"So, what are you saying?" Marshall urged.

"I'm saying that until he stops policing everyone and sticking his nose where it isn't needed, I'm no longer interested in him."

"Do you think it'll get through to him?" Rocky questioned.

"I hope so. At any other time he's one of the most caring and respectful pups that I know. The way he acted today was unbelievable."

"So...are we gonna do something else? Because I'm bored!" Rubble thumped his paws on the floor, eagerly awaiting a response.

"Yeah, let's go. How 'bout some Pup Pup Boogie?" Rocky suggested.

"All right!" Rubble cheered.

The pups then started their way to the Lookout elevator. Well, that is, all except for one of them.

"Hey, Mawshall, awen't you coming?" Zuma turned to ask him.

"No, I'm, uh, not feeling very well," he responded.

"Oh, sowwy to heaw that. Get well soon, dude."

Zuma turned and left to rejoin the other pups in the elevator. Once Marshall saw the elevator reach the top, he exited the Lookout and decided to take a walk along the edge of the driveway.

What he said to Zuma wasn't a lie; he really wasn't feeling well. As he was surrounded by only silence, he finally allowed himself to speak his mind.

"Chase didn't deserve what happened to him. I mean, yeah, he did try to take charge of the situation, but that's what he does. That's who Chase is."

Marshall was taken aback by Skye's reaction to Chase's bossiness. And the more he thought about it, the more he saw how stupid the whole situation was.

"Why did she react so strongly?" he asked himself. "He's a German Shepherd! Of course he wants to protect his friends! It's in his blood!"

Marshall really felt bad for Chase. Skye was being irrational, and now he had to suffer. It just wasn't fair for the shepherd.

"I-I wonder how Chase is handling all of this," he said aloud. "Man, he's probably hurt pretty bad."

Marshall hung his head low as he thought about Chase, and how sad and confused he must be.

"Come, on, Marshall. He's not _probably_ hurt, he _is_ hurt! I've gotta go see if he's okay."

Marshall bounded back towards the volleyball net, where Chase was ripped to shreds only a short time ago. But before he got there, he perked his ears up.

"I-I hear something..." he whispered to himself.

As Marshall approached the net, the sound came into focus.

"It sounds like...someone's crying."

He carefully listened to and followed the sound across the yard. After a few minutes, the source of the sound was found. He walked over to the big oak tree that the pups often used to escape the summer heat. The pups had many great memories with the tree, and it has been a part of the Lookout since, well, before the Lookout.

But when he reached the tree, all he felt underneath it...was sadness. In front of the dalmatian was his best friend, the shepherd, who was nothing but a sad, wet pile of pup slumped on the ground, sniffling and covering his eyes.

Marshall approached him carefully, and laid down next to him.

"Hey, Chase," Marshall greeted softly.

Chase's response was a sniffle and a sad little whimper.

"I heard what happened. About you and Skye. I'm really sorry that happened. I was just coming over to see how you're doing." Marshall chose his words thoughtfully, and in doing so, he was able to work a response out of the shepherd.

*sniff* "How do you THINK I feel?" Chase shouted at Marshall before beginning to sob again.

Marshall attempted to comfort his friend.

"It's ok, Chase." Marshall gently put his paw on Chase's shoulder. "I'm here for you."

Chase violently shrugged Marshall off and spun around to face him.

"You're just like the rest of them!" Chase cried. "You hate who I am and what I do! So I push the pups to follow the rules, what has that done? Has anyone in Adventure Bay _ever_ been carelessly hurt! Do you know why? Rules have a purpose: to keep everyone safe. Why can't we just listen to them!?"

At this point Chase was in hysterics, pounding his paw on the ground and taking an assertive posture.

Marshall saw the rage in his eyes, and tried to talk Chase down from it.

"Chase, try to calm down. Being angry won't solve anything."

"What would you know about anger?! You're the most carefree pup in the entire bay!" Chase said sarcastically.

"That might be true, but Chase, you know I hate seeing you like this. Please, Chase; I'm your friend; I just wanna help you."

"Just stop trying to understand! Because you can't! You have NO idea what its like to lose the love of your life over something as dumb as rules! You know what? Just go play with the others. Then I'll have no one telling me how to feel."

Chase's anger broke away, and fell into a sadness. Marshall recognized that as requested, Chase should be left alone. So Marshall went to do what was asked of him, and join the other pups in the Lookout.

Before he got too far away, he turned towards his best friend. With a tear in his eye, he quietly told him...

"I'm sorry I couldn't be a better friend."

And with that, Marshall slowly made his way back to the Lookout. Once Marshall got far enough away from Chase, he broke down. He started crying tears of anger, of sympathy, of caring. And he didn't stop until he reached the Lookout elevator.

The poor dalmatian felt so useless, not being able to help his best friend feel better. All he seemed to do was make it worse. After letting his feelings and emotions run rampant on his spotted body, he swallowed, took a deep breath, and entered the elevator, now being forced to return to his normal life. If only Chase knew how much he hurt his best friend.

After Marshall was out of his sight, Chase's anger managed to grab hold of him one last time. He was infuriated by Skye, and her ridiculous breakup with him, and Marshall, because he couldn't possibly understand what he was going through. He tried desperately to find something, anything, to be angry about. But he was all alone, with nothing to keep him company but his emotions. With no target at which to release his anger, Chase finally succumbed to his feelings, and quietly sobbed himself to sleep.


	3. Comfort

**It seems like you guys really like this story, and I like it a lot too! I'm glad that it's having so much success, but these chapters seem to be moving along faster than I expected. The only thing that means is that I may be closer to the 10 chapter goal that I set for myself, rather than 15 chapters. Otherwise, nothing should really change regarding the story. Also, if you haven't checked out the MarshallxChase story that I started yesterday, called "Too Far", please give it a read! It's a bit more mature than most PAW Patrol stories, but it was a lot of fun to write! And as always, please feel free to drop a review and tell me how I'm doing, or leave any suggestions you might have. Anyways, here's the next installment!**

"Hey, Chase? Buddy, are you ok?"

Chase woke up from his sleep and rolled over to see Ryder with a concerned look on his face.

"Chase, the other pups told me that today there were some arguments between you and them...something about rules?"

Chase whimpered and put his paws over his eyes.

"Ryder?" He questioned. "Are you mad at me?"

"Well, it depends on what happened. Why don't you tell me your side of the story?"

Ryder knelt down and scooped Chase up, then sat down and put Chase on his legs.

"Well, I saw the other pups playing volleyball, only, they weren't playing it the way they should've. Then I saw Zuma and Rubble get hurt, so I went over and tried to help, but they wouldn't listen. Then Skye got mad and said I was bossing them around, and said that until I stop, she's through with me. I...I was just trying to protect them, Ryder. I don't know what I did wrong." Chase sniffled and buried his head into Ryder's chest.

"It sounds to me like you were trying to tell the other pups how to play, and they didn't like it...Skye included," Ryder stated.

"But what's wrong with telling them?" Chase asked.

"Well, Skye was right. What you did _was_ bossing them around."

"Yeah...I guess it was. But how can I get Skye and the others to listen to me? I want to apologize to them."

"I would try to talk to Skye and the other pups, and explain what happened. What you say should come from your heart. Make sure it means something."

Ryder gave Chase a scratch on his ear, and Chase lept from Ryder's lap.

"Thanks, Ryder. You're the best."

Chase jumped back onto Ryder's face and gave it several puppy licks before departing to apologize.

As Chase headed up the Lookout elevator, he planned what he was going to say. When the door opened, Chase saw the other pups were still playing Pup Pup Boogie, and Marshall and Zuma watching on the pupcouch. When they heard the door, they stopped and turned around.

"Oh...Chase. Are you here to boss us around some more?" Skye shot at Chase.

"No, I'm actually here to apologize. You see, pups, I _was_ bossing you around before. And Skye, I know that you didn't like that, and the same goes for the rest of you. I was really just trying to keep my friends from getting hurt, but I see now that I took it too far. I understand that it wasn't right of me to do that. So I wish to offer my apologies."

Chase was very nervous that they wouldn't accept, but much to his relief, Marshall, Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble all went over to Chase and one by one, forgave him. After they have given their acceptance, though, Skye didn't even turn to look at him.

"Why should I accept your apology?" she questioned demandingly. "How do I know you even mean it? After what you told the other pups today, I wouldn't put it past you."

"But Skye, I really do mean it. Would I have come to apologize to all you pups if I didn't mean it?" Chase softly urged.

None of the other pups wanted to get involved. All Chase got out of her was a "hmmph" and a sneer.

"I can't force you to accept, but thank you, for those of you that did. I'll leave you pups to your game now."

With ears drooping and tail limp, Chase entered the Elevator and rode it down to the Lookout entrance.

When he went outside, Ryder was doing some quick tune-ups on his ATV before the sun set. He approached Ryder and gave a slight cough.

"Oh, hey Chase. How did the apology with the pups go?" Ryder asked as he slid out from under his ATV.

"Not so well, sir. Most of the pups forgave me, but..." Chase hesitated as he sniffled a bit.

"Something else happened, didn't it?" Ryder inquired.

"The one pup that I was sure would accept did the exact opposite-she didn't believe me."

Chase's sniffles began to turn into tears as he shook his head in disbelief. Ryder reached over and picked Chase up, and began to stroke the fur behind his ears. It was Chase's secret spot; it always calmed him down. As if on cue, Chase sighed and lay his head down on Ryder's chest.

"I just don't get it Ryder. I did everything right, so why doesn't Skye forgive me?" Chase whimpered a little when he said that.

"Shhhh. Chase, it's ok, buddy. Just calm down," Ryder offered as he continued to stroke Chase's fur.

From everything that had happened that day, the shepherd was quite exhausted, so he was slowly lulled off to sleep by Ryder's soothing voice. Ryder carried him inside the Lookout and into Ryder's room. He deposited Chase at the end of his bed and got himself ready for bed. As Ryder fell asleep, he could hear Chase's soft snores from the end of the bed. The room was quiet.

* * *

"Hey, Wocky, you're lookin' pwetty good over thewe," Zuma encouraged Rocky as he took on Marshall in a match of Pup Pup Boogie.

"Oh, no you don't, Rocky. I'm gonna win with my secret weapon-the tail spin!"

"But, Marshall, wait! Your spin never-"

Rubble was cut off by Marshall when he wound up and began to spin all out of control, and Rocky had no time to move out of the way. Marshall crashed into Rocky, and they landed in a pile on a nearby beanbag.

"-works," Rubble finished with a smug grin.

"Hehe, sorry, Rocky. Just can't seem to get that tail spin down," Marshall joked.

All the pups laughed at Marshall and Rocky's situation, except for Skye. She was sitting alone, away from the game, contemplating.

 _'Did he really mean that apology? Was he sorry? Was he actually bossing around the other pups? Was he just trying to help?'_

Skye asked herself all of these questions, but she was hesitant to ponder them any further. She immediately denied any possibility that Chase was genuine.

 _'I said I was done with him, so I'm done with him. And that's final. But if I'm not with Chase, I want someone else who can be by my side... but who else would I...?'_ As she looked over by the game and the other pups, she seemed to notice one pup in particular.

 _'_ He _has a big goofy grin on his face, and spotted, floppy ears-and a cute black nose...hmmm-kind of like Cha-wait, Skye, are you falling for that clumsy, less than mature, clown of a pup?'_

It turns out, in that moment, that's exactly what happened. Skye had found a replacement for Chase, and this one wasn't even a bit bossy.

 _'Wow, he's...perfect.'_

* * *

Chase stirred and whined as his thoughts and dreams plagued him in his sleep.

Chase dreamed that he was by himself, in the backyard, but then, a familiar figure came into sight.

 _'There she is, all by herself. Now's my chance to apologize again.'_

 _As he walked towards her, a second pup approached her, and she turned around to look at the mysterious pup._

 _'Who is that? I-I can't tell. They're-too far away.'_

 _When Skye saw the pup, she giggled and ran over to them, and away from Chase._

 _'No-wait. She's leaving! I've got to catch her!'_

 _But as he ran towards her and the other pup, they slowly grew farther and farther away. Chase ran as fast as he could, but just couldn't seem to catch them. He ran...and ran...until they eventually faded out of Chase's view._

 _'Nnnnoooo,' he whimpered as he slumped down onto his belly, spreading all four paws out. He hung his head and began to cry softly, howling for his love to come back. But she wouldn't come back._

 _'COME BACK!'_

Chase snapped back into reality with a start, awaking from his wretched dream. He took a moment to look around, not recalling when he was moved from the yard to Ryder's room, and began to sniffle, longing for someone to console him after his hopeless dream. His sniffles woke up Ryder, who awoke with a yawn.

"What's the matter, Chase?"

*sniff* "Ryder, it happened again," he whined.

"Chase, I know that you tried to apologize, but she probably just needs more time to think about what you said," Ryder offered.

*sniff* "You don't understand, Ryder. She, she...was with another pup. I tried to catch her, but I just couldn't."

Tears silently rolled down Chase's face as he slumped over to Ryder and rested his head on Ryder's leg. He just laid there, and whined as Ryder stroked his head.

"The best thing you can do is to leave her to herself and her feelings," Ryder said. "Skye has a strong heart, and I know that she'll make the right choice."

Chase looked up at Ryder with longing eyes.

"But Ryder, how am I supposed to be happy when I know that she's out there, with one of my friends, instead of me? What does that show that I am to her? She must think I'm worthless." Chase's sadness began to transform into anger.

"Try to calm down, Chase. Getting angry won't solve anything. You just need to relax for tonight," Ryder told him.

Chase's mature side kicked in as he realized that he was losing control.

"You-you're right, Ryder...I should give her time to sort out her feelings," Chase sighed as he lifted his head and began to move to the end of Ryder's bed where he was allowed to sleep.

"Chase, if you want, you can sleep in the bed with me," Ryder caved under the shepherd's sadness.

Chase slunk back over to Ryder, who lifted the sheets and let him under. Chase crawled in and popped his head above the blankets to rest on Ryder's pillow.

"Thanks for being there for me Ryder," the shepherd said meaningfully as he gave Ryder a tired lick on the side of his face.

"Any time, Chase," Ryder returned. The two snuggled up and soon fell asleep, happy and satisfied.

* * *

 **Poor Chase! I feel so bad for him. As sad as this chapter was for him, it was quite fun for me to write. Hopefully I don't sound like too much like a nutjob who enjoys somebody else's pain :-P . And if any of you are wondering, the story is gonna to kick up to the next gear real soon. Emotions will be running high, and someone will be hurt pretty badly. And it might not be the way you think :-J . I'm just gonna leave it at that, but yeah, that's about all I've got for now. Until the next update, see ya later!**


	4. Exploits

**Hey, guys, sorry for not posting yesterday. I was a bit preoccupied with things, but I updated both of my stories today, so that's a plus! Unfortunately, my schedule is still pretty busy right now, so I may have to slack a bit on my other story to make sure i can get updates on this one. And thank you for those who caught my reupload from earlier and corrected me. This time, I got it right :-P Anways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

It was night in Adventure Bay, and everyone was asleep. Everyone except the skies, and the pup who was admiring them. Skye was laying in her puphouse, paws underneath her head and looking towards the sky, where a bolt of purple lightning arched across the black sky. The sky was alive with power. She closed her eyes, waiting for the thunder, but instead, her ears were met with a sharp yelp.

She quickly got up and ran outside, being struck with icy rain and a bitter wind. Skye looked around, trying to find where the yelp came from. As she began checking the puphouses, a delayed clap of thunder came out of nowhere. A resounding boom echoed throughout her small body as she heard another yip of distress.

Skye turned toward the sound, and dashed to where she heard it come from. She passed Zuma's puphouse, Rocky's, Rubble's, and...Chase's.

"Why did you have to be so stubborn?" she asked herself.

She paused, shook her head, and started again after the sound. Skye passed Marshall's puphouse, and was about to run to the Lookout when another bolt of lightning streaked across the skyline.

"Ahhhhh!"

When she heard the sound, she stopped dead in her tracks, and turned back towards Marshall's puphouse. When she got there, she looked inside to see Marshall underneath his firepup blanket, shaking violently, with a look of pure terror on his face.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" he screamed as tears poured down his face.

In that moment, Skye knew what she had to do. She had to help two different pups: one being her crush, and one being her friend. Both of them were there in front of her, a crying, shaking, scared, and helpless pup with black spots and the most innocent, bright blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Marshall! What happened?"

"Thunder! Lightning! Make it stop!" He shrieked as buried his face into his paws, increasing the flow of tears.

Skye approached Marshall and looked into his quivering eyes.

"Marshall, come into my puphouse...I'll keep you safe, I promise." Skye gently pulled the blanket away from his face and wiped away his tears.

"I-I'm so scared..." Marshall's voice shook.

"It'll be ok, Marshall. I'm going to protect you. You don't have to worry."

She reached out her paw, and he took it. With his blanket on his back, and teddy bear in his mouth, Skye led Marshall through the beast of the night.

When another boom of thunder tore through the air, Marshall almost lost it. He collapsed into a wet pile of shaking pup, completely paralyzed by fear. Skye got behind him and pushed him with all her might.

After several minutes, she was successful in getting Marshall into her puphouse. She sealed the door and turned her night light on, illuminating the interior with a soft pink light.

Marshall was still trembling and didn't stop until Skye laid down next to him, and lifted his soaked blanket off of him. She grabbed her own blanket and laid it over the top of them.

When Skye turned her body away, she felt a lick on her cheek. "Thanks, Skye," Marshall said gratefully. She felt her cheeks grow hot as she said back to him, "Anything for you, Marshall." As she turned back around to face him, the two were lulled to sleep by each other's body heat and gentle touch as they huddled together, muzzle on muzzle. And then, the night was quiet.

* * *

Chase arose from his sleep, and slowly, he began to recollect what had happened over the past few days.

 _'I need to take a walk, and get myself sorted out,'_ he decided.

He quietly snuck out from underneath the covers and stealthily made his way towards the Lookout door. As he exited, he walked towards the pups' houses, in the direction of the woods.

The morning was cool, and fresh dew lined the grass and plants. The air was moist, and fog hung just above the ground. Chase smelled the air, and was met with the aroma of nature. He loved the morning after a fresh rain. It was filled with so many glorious smells. He smiled to himself as he padded towards the tree line.

He neared the puphouses, and peered into them as he walked past the line. 'There's Rubble-and Rocky-and Zuma, and-wait...where's Marshall?' He whispered out loud. He stuck his muzzle into Marshall's puphouse, but he was nowhere to be found.

'His blanket and teddy bear aren't in here either. Where could he be sleeping?' Chase nosed around until he found a trace of Marshall's scent, but it was buried by another, much stronger scent. Funny...it didn't smell like typical Marshall. Something was, off about it.

Shaking his head, he followed it out of Marshall's puphouse, and passed Zuma, and Rocky, and Rubble, and-to Skye's?!

Chase abandoned all reason to be quiet, and bounded over to her puphouse, where sure enough, Marshall and Skye were huddled up together, snoring softly under Skye's blanket.

Chase's entire thought process was put in hold as the record in his mind scratched to a halt. He tried to process what was before him, but was struggling.

'I-I-the dream-it was right!' Chase's blood boiled as his gaze fixated on Marshall's completely innocent expression, and Skye's, with a slight smile on it. They were situated close together, and Marshall had his nose on top of hers. Chase couldn't take it..it couldn't be true...it-it-was just a dream! He turned away, and with no hesitation, he sprinted off towards the woods. As he ran, Chase had only one thing on his mind...revenge.

* * *

The bright morning sun shined through Ryder's bedroom window as he slowly stirred himself awake.

*yawn* "Good morning, Adventure Bay," he sleepily greeted the city that he and his pups protected day in and day out. He sat up, and on any other day, he would put his slippers on and head over to the kitchen to make the pups' breakfast. But first he decided to wake Chase up and see how he's doing.

When he turned to look at the bed next to him, all he saw was the sheets pushed away to reveal an indent in the pillow from where Chase rested his head.

"Hey, Chase, are you awake?" he called out. Nothing. "Where are you, buddy?...Hello?" Ryder got up, put his slippers on, and went to walk around the Lookout to look for him.

"Maybe he decided to get his own breakfast before I got up," Ryder thought aloud. He walked over to the kitchen, and only saw a normal, clean kitchen from the evening before.

"That's odd...where could he be?" As he scanned through the rest of the Lookout, Chase was nowhere to be found. He took out his puppad and swiped over to Chase's police badge.

"Chase, where are you?" he attempted to communicate through Chase's pup tag.

"Where did you go?" No response. At this point, Ryder started to panic. He ran outside of the Lookout and over to the pups' houses. He looked inside of Chase's, but he was nowhere to be found.

'I hope he's not upset because of Skye,' he thought. He took a few steps back and shouted, "Get up, pups! We have an emergency!" They all awoke with a start.

After stretching and shaking the sleep off, they all ran after Ryder and followed him into the Lookout elevator. After they got their pup packs and exited the elevator, they all eagerly asked, "What's wrong, Ryder?"

"Pups," he started with fear in his voice, "Chase has gone missing!"

"WHAT!" the pups all gasp.

"Where did he go?" Marshall asked him. "I hope he's okay." Marshall whimpered as he leaned towards Skye, who put a paw on his shoulder in support.

"We're not sure where he went, but we need to find him." As he reached for his pup pad to designate the pups for the mission, he noticed something dreadful.

"Wyder, what's wrong?" Zuma asked with concern.

As the pups looked to Ryder, he pulled the slide-out part of his pup pad and pressed the button to call their pup tags. Their tags all ringed, and simultaneously lit up on his pup pad.

"Wyder, why did you do that?" Zuma asked. "We're wight here!"

Ryder motioned for the pups to crowd around him. Once he did, he knelt down in front of them and began to cry. The pups didn't know how to react. They'd never seen Ryder cry like this before.

"What happened?" Rocky asked, very serious. Ryder took his pup pad and swiped across the screen to push it onto the larger screen next to him.

On the display, were the badges of the seven pups. Chase's badge, however, was not lit up like the rest of them. It was completely blacked out.

* * *

 **Heheh, bet you guys are loving the cliffhanger :-D. What happened to Chase? What's going on between Marshall and Skye? Ahh, yes, I left it open-ended for you guys to interpret what you will. Next chapter should be out on Wednesday, so hold your pants until then :-P As always, please give me feedback or suggestions. Until then, seeya later!**


	5. Broken

**Hey, guys! I know a lot of you were expecting an update yesterday, but I am just starting to adjust to my new work schedule for the summer. I just didn't have the time to write yesterday, and I was sad that I didn't have anything to upload. So what I may do is put a halt on my second story, so when I do get time to write, I can make sure that my first story, this one, gets updated. I think that running two stories right out of the gate may have been too ambitious, and I apologize that my schedule isn't as free as it was a little while ago. But today, I had to make sure I got something done, so enjoy! And just a heads up about this chapter, there is some pretty dark and gory parts in it. They are essential to the plot, so I wrote them with a lot of feeling. Hopefully I didn't go overboard with the dark parts, but alas, enjoy anways!**

* * *

"How could he have done that!? How could he have gone behind my back like that!?"

A scream of pure rage erupted from the shepherd's throat that echoed off of the many trees he was surrounded by. He furiously kicked a patch of grass, sending it flying into a nearby pond. As he looked over at the pond, he saw that the only thing disturbing the smooth surface of the water was the dirty clump of grass. It distorted and broke the glasslike cohesion of the water. For Chase right now, the water was his life up until the day before. And the dirt...was Marshall. The spotted dalmatian had made in like a predator watching until the protective mother left her prized cub unattended. It was unbelievable that his best friend had even thought of taking Skye from him.

Interrupting his livid thoughts, a young squirrel scurried across his paws, returning home after his first ever attempt at collecting nuts. His mom was waiting in the nest at the top of a large oak tree, eagerly waiting to see her son's success. But as he tried to climb the large tree, Chase suddenly swung a paw at the young squirrel in blind anger, surprising it and knocking it off of the tree. It was sent careening through the air, until it landed in the pond. The squirrel, with a cheek full of acorns, tried desperately to stay above the surface, but its own weight was too great for its efforts. After struggling for many long seconds, it gradually slipped below the surface, releasing a stream of bubbles as it sank. Chase just stared at where the young squirrel was, not knowing what to feel. He was numb. But as he refocused his brain for one second, he saw one single acorn float up to the surface of the pond. Chase laid down in front of the water, and looked at his paw. He saw a spattering of blood tarnishing his brown fur.

"I did this," he thought aloud. "I took that momma squirrel's son away. He never got the chance to go back home. I...I stopped him. WHY DID I DO THAT!? His life meant nothing for me! I...I killed him, for no reason."

Upon realizing the grave mistake he made, Chase dropped his head to his chest, and began to weep.

' _I just killed someone...I-I-I broke the very oath that I swore on the day dad...'_ It was hard for Chase to think any farther.

* * *

Flashback

 _It was a crisp fall morning, and the sun was shining brightly. Chase's father, a veteran police dog, had just helped convict another criminal by the name of James Falco. He was charged with 6 accounts of attempted murder, and one charge of first degree intentional homicide. The victim was a seven year old boy, and no further information had been released since the incident._

 _As part of the conviction process, Chase's father had to look at and observe the victim, and provide an eyewitness testimony in the court hearing. When he walked up to the body on a stretcher that was covered by a cloth, he nosed it away to expose the boy. What he saw there in front on him was inexplicably inhumane._

 _Placed in various areas over his body, no fewer than eight knife and blade wounds were present. Several of them were around the belly area, and were deep thrusts almost all the way through his body. One was on his head, but Falco took a glancing swing and only scraped the top of the skin, leaving a raw, red, grotesque-looking section where his hair was all but absent. The next was a long slice to his mid thigh, and from the looks of it, it was intended to cripple the boy, and to keep him from running away. Chase's father could just imagine the child, curled up in a corner, bleeding from his belly, his leg, and his head, pleading for no more pain...no more suffering. As he tried to shake the image from his mind, he continued to observe the young boy._

 _The next few wounds were the most disturbing. Placed dead center on the middle of his neck, a jagged, toothy cut ate through about half of his windpipe, before Falco gave up, tossed the rusty handsaw to the side, and desperately tried to stab him in the chest. The young boy's life was spared when Falco's blade lodged itself between his fifth and sixth ribs. Running out of options, Falco abandoned his blade, grabbed a nearby fork, and plunged the fork into the boy's eye socket. He twisted and scooped the fork, as if he was delicately enjoying a meal of spaghetti. When he pulled it out, the ocular fluids leaked from the eye cavity and the eyeball deflated like a water mattress. His brain tissue was entangled between the tines of the fork, like threads of pasta bathed in a sauce of blood._

 _Falco quickly fled the scene, but left enough evidence behind to land him in prison for a solid 10 years. After the conclusion of the trial, Chase's father received enormous amounts of thanks and gratitude from the town. So much, in fact, that the Mayor decided to have a celebration held in honor of his fantastic policework._

 _To him, there was nothing to be celebrated. He still remembered the look of sadness...of vulnerability...of fear in the young boy's eyes, as he clenched his stomach, breathing shallowly, vision narrowing as he lost more and more blood. He could imagine the fork being thrust multiple times into his eye, and twisted, and twisted, and twisted, and...Chase's father just couldn't bear to look at it. Despite his best attempts to keep his work out of his personal life, the inhumanity of the way that child was harmed was undeniable._

 _During the night, he dreamed that he was there with the little boy, when Falco walked into the room. Chase's father wanted to attack him, but he couldn't will his body to move. He was paralyzed and helpless to watch the horrible man "toy" with the child, talking to him like a father would talk to his son. He talked so innocently as he wielded the knife in one hand, and the fork in the other. And he continued to talk as he slowly drove the blade into his victim. And his screams...were so sad. Finally, Chase's father just couldn't take it...he was broken._

 _In his mind, he sprinted away from the young boy, as fast as he could. But no matter how quickly he ran, the boy was right behind him. He couldn't escape._

 _He threw open the door to his and his owner's room, and ran downstairs to the kitchen. He frantically searched the room, and set eyes on what he was looking for. He took his dog leash off of the counter, and tied one end of it to the closet door handle. He took a deep breath, and tied the leash to his own neck. He slowly opened the door._

 _'A better place...A better place...'_

 _He got behind the door, and readied himself. With a howl unlike any other, he slammed the door closed with as much force as he could. There was a snap, then silence._

 _A better place..._

* * *

"I-I promised that no matter what happens to me, or any of my friends, that I will never, ever kill...not like the man who killed that little boy...and dad...I-I failed you, dad...I-I'm just as bad as Falco..." But then Chase recalled the other oath that he swore on that very same day. The oath that would change his life forever.

* * *

 **A bit of anticipation for the next chapter, hopefully! I tried to leave a bit of a hook for the next chapter to pick up on, because if I were to put everything in that I had planned, this chapter would have exceeded 3000 words! So i tried to make it a bit more digestable, and also slow the plot down a bit. And also, I am aware that many of you want some sort of ulterior couple, such as EverestxChase and MarshallxSkye. Perhaps those requests were based on the idea that Marshall seems to be pretty tight with Skye. For the sake of not revealing plot developments in the future, I can't say what these couples will develop into just yet :-J And another plus for you guys, I will be abandoning the every other day upload schedule in favor of uploading whenever I get the chance. I should have an opening tomorrow, so look out for that. As always, feel free to hit me up with questions or comments via review or pm. That's about it, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter :-D**


	6. Oath

**I was finally able to update on time! Yay! This chapter will show why Chase's badge was blacked out on Ryder's pup pad from a while back, and will also address the oath that was mentioned last chapter. In tomorrow's update, there will be pain and happiness, and Chase's fate will be revealed. That's a whole lotta hype for one chapter, so I'll shut up and just let you read :-P**

* * *

Flashback

After the death of Chase's father, news of Falco quickly spread to neighboring cities. And as the news reached a city called Adventure Bay, one boy set out to make things right.

"A rescue team, that's what we need. Someone who will keep people safe from harm. Someone who will defend justice standing side by side their friends." The 10 year old boy, known to most as Ryder, turned to his best friend, looking for any sort of affirmation.

"That sounds like it's gonna be pre-tty hard, Ryder," the young dalmatian said to him. "Where would you find that many people who want to help?"

"Well, we have to start somewhere, Marshall," Ryder stated.

"What are you saying? ...That...WE start the team?" Marshall questioned.

"That's exactly what I mean! We need to go out and gather anyone who is willing to lend a hand."

"Or a paw!" Marshall giggled.

"Marshall...that's a great idea!" Ryder exclaimed.

"What did I say?" Marshall asked, confused.

"That's what we can call our team- the PAW Patrol!"

"Oh, yeah. I meant to say that," Marshall smirked, waving a paw. But then, he got a puzzled look on his face.

"But Ryder, where do we start?"

Ryder turned around to pick up a newspaper off of the table behind him. "I think I know the perfect pup." Ryder flipped the paper over to reveal the front page story from that day.

Underneath the headline, was a picture of a German shepherd who was crying over the body of another shepherd, one that was much bigger than him.

"Who's that?" Marshall inquired. Reading the article, Ryder said,

"It says here that he's the son of the famous shepherd K-9 from the city across the bay...the one who just convicted the killer. After the conviction, he suffered traumatic mental injuries and committed suicide shortly after."

"Wow...that's, horrible," Marshall said, nearly in tears. "It sounds like he *sniff* really needs our help."

"You're exactly right, Marshall. He does need our help. What'd you say, buddy? Should we go and give him?" Marshall wiped his eyes with his paws and looked up at Ryder with determination in his bright blue eyes.

"Let's get him, Ryder."

* * *

Broken. Angry. Confused. All of these things could be used to describe how the poor German Shepherd was feeling right now. He could only watch as they closed the casket that contained the most important dog that ever existed in his life.

Once the lid was sealed, a single raindrop fell from the sky and landed on the tip of his nose. It was as if the heavens were mourning alongside him. Chase sat down by himself, and looked up at the clouds, thinking about nothing. He only looked. The world meant nothing to him anymore, not without his dad. His dad _was_ his world. And now, his world was being put into the ground. Right in front of him.

As he parted gaze with the sky, he drew his eyes across the gathering of people attending the service. There were many people present, including an equal mix of residents and people from out of town. That was one small reassurance for Chase. People not only cared about what his dad had done, but also about who he was. Even if he didn't save lives and protect, his reputation would still draw crowds upon his death.

The thing that really enraged the poor pup was the _reason_ that his dad took his own life. Had he not been a part of that case...had Falco not murdered the innocent child...had Falco not existed, then his dad would still be alive. Suddenly, Chase shifted his feelings to the man-no, murderer, who claimed two innocent lives that day.

James Falco. Even saying the name made Chase bare his teeth. If the killer wasn't behind bars, he would surely be...

 _'If I got my paws on him, I don't know what I'd do to him. Heh, but I do know one thing: that he would be dead.'_

After the thought of putting Falco down for good, he found himself growling out loud.

 _'_ _Oh, I would just love to hear his screams as I tore him apart limb from limb...'_

Just as he began to imagine the agony that he would've put Falco through, he was interrupted by a curious voice.

"Umm, who are you growling at?" the voice asked to the shepherd's back.

*sigh* "Someone who took the life of my closest friend. That coward...killed my dad." Chase couldn't keep it together, and he started to tear up.

As he turned around to confront the voice, he was met with a look of realization.

"Wait, your dad just died?"

*sniff* "That's what I said, isn't it? Why are you even talking to m-?"

Before Chase could even finish, the strange dalmatian whom he was talking to put his paw over Chase's mouth, silencing him.

"Don't move. Stay right here," the dalmatian told him as he turned and ran towards the city.

"Ryder! Ryder! I found him!"

As odd as that conversation was, Chase gave a sad laugh as he thought about what the dalmatian just told him.

 _'You don't have to worry about me. I really don't have anywhere to go.'_

As he sat in his own grievance, he tried to think of what he could do with his life now. But after suffering such a devastating loss, he just couldn't see the future. It was shrouded by the mists of his grief.

"I-I want to move on, but...I just can't...I, I don't have purpose anymore."

Chase slumped down onto his belly, and just laid his head on the cold, wet ground.

"-Chase, you _do_ have a purpose-"

The shepherd lifted his eyes to see that very same dalmatian from before, looking at him with his enthusiastic blue eyes. Standing next to him was an older boy with tall, black hair, and a red vest. He reached down to scratch the dalmatian between his ears before kneeling down to look at Chase.

"My friend Marshall here talked with you before, and he happened to notice that you were the pup in the paper that lost his father. Hi, my name's Ryder."

Chase just looked at Ryder, unsure what to think of him.

"After hearing about your father, and how he was...killed...I have decided to make it my mission to serve and protect the citizens of the area."

"Good for you," Chase scowled, "Why should I care?"

Ryder frowned a bit, but persisted.

"We came to you because to protect these people, we need a team-a team of brave people-"

"Or pups," Marshall quickly interjected.

"-or pups, or anyone who is willing to lend a hand-"

"Or a paw," Marshall snuck in.

"If you were to join this team, and help keep Adventure Bay and other cities safe, it would mean that your father's death wouldn't be in vain. If you're looking for a purpose, this would be as good a start as any."

Chase sat blankly, trying to absorb the massive amount of information that was just spoken to him. Then, the dalmatian stepped in front of Ryder, and looked into his eyes.

"When I heard the story about your dad, it-it made me cry. Ryder and I care so much about people or pups like you, who don't know what to do, but just need a paw to help them up."

Marshall choked up a bit before saying, "I-I just wanna help keep my friends safe."

Chase didn't know what to say.

"F-fr-friend?" he studdered out.

"Yeah, Chase, you're my friend, and I care about you. If you let us help you, together, we can keep people safe. What do you say?"

Chase didn't say anything. He just ran up to Marshall and hugged him hard. Marshall could feel him crying as his tears trickled down his shoulder.

"Y-yyess," Chase said, "Together...friend."

Marshall just held him there as the shepherd let himself open, as tears of joy and excitement continued to escape his eyes.

* * *

"Okay, Chase, repeat after me," Ryder instructed the shepherd. Chase nodded as Ryder began to say:

"In dark of night, in light of day, We, The PAW Patrol will serve Adventure Bay.  
From runaway trains to stranded whales, we'll rush to the rescue with wagging tails. If danger is near, just give a yelp! The PAW Patrol is here to help!"

As Chase finished speaking, Ryder presented him with a new collar, which he fastened around Chase's neck.

"Chase, I now declare you an official member of the PAW Patrol!" Ryder cheered as Chase looked around at the world, a changed pup. He finally had a purpose. He finally had a reason to go on. He finally had...a friend.

* * *

End of Flashback

Chase sat and reflected on these powerful memories, while continuing to stare at the single acorn floating on the surface of the water.

 _'I-I never tried to protect him...I only hurt him...'_ Chase whimpered, bowing his head.

 _If danger is near, just give a yelp! The PAW Patrol is here to help!_

Chase's eyes popped open as one particular line crossed his mind. He let it sit for a minute, and his ears perked up when he realized what he had to do.

"He's in trouble, and I gotta save him!"

Chase stood up, took a deep breath, and dove into the pond, desperately searching for the squirrel's body. After several failed dive attempts, he dove once more, and this time, he saw a lump underneath some settled mud.

He swam down to confront the lump, and as he started to dig at the lump, more mud piled on top of the hole. It filled just as fast as he dug. He dug faster, and faster, but to no avail. Chase took a mental breath, and burrowed his body into the mud. He searched as hard as he could, but all he saw was mud. He felt his lungs aching for oxygen, and he knew he didn't have much time left. He furiously parted the sea of mud, but little by little, he was beginning to take in water. He pushed his shepherd body as hard as he could, and with one last heave, was able to punch a hole through the pile of mud. At this point, Chase's vision was starting to narrow, and he was losing feeling in his paws. But wait...he saw something start to rise out of the mess. It...it was the squirrel! As it continued to rise to the surface, he looked down at his paw. The blood was washed off completely. Chase had been cleansed of his previous actions...but it was too late for the shepherd.

'Well, at least one of us will make it out,' he thought as his eyes began to close. Breathing a mental sigh of relief, Chase slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

 _'I-I saved him...'_

* * *

Ryder and the pups were all sat in one big pile on the floor of the Lookout, weeping bitterly, and looking at that black badge.

It was the one reminder of the terrible fate had met their beloved police pup. After several minutes, Ryder composed himself, and redirected his focus.

"Pups, we still need to find Chase, regardless of what has happened to him." The pups all looked at him, with uncertainty in their eyes.

"Skye, I'll need you to use your helicopter to search from the sky. Zuma, you check the docks and go with Captain Turbot to search any nearby islands. Rubble, go around and ask the townspeople what they've seen or heard about his disappearance. And Marshall and Rocky, I need you to come with me to search on the ground."

The pups didn't give their usual cheery responses; there was no time for playing around. They had to find their friend. The pups zoomed down the Lookout slide and wasted no time getting in their vehicles. They split up so they each could perform their various duties. But things weren't looking good for Chase; if they were going to find him, it would have to be soon...

* * *

 **You may have noticed that Marshall and Chase had a moment when Marshall said that Chase was his friend, and the reason that I had that in there was to show how much Marshall cares about Chase. He's not out to anger Chase, but he is dealing with a huge internal struggle, which is why he is allowing Skye to act the way that she is with him. That's all I can say without giving away the next chapter :-J You probably know the drill by now, but please drop a review or a pm with any questions, comments, or suggestions you have. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Rescue

**Hey, everyone! I've got a special treat for you: it's a double upload! :-D My ideas for this chapter spilled over to make an entire extra chapter, but they're a package deal, so I got two coming! The second chapter will be a direct continuation of this one, so just a heads up. And also, by request of** **xKovu 01, the next chapter contains an idea that they offered to share with me! Thanks again to them, and please enjoy these chapters!**

* * *

Ryder, Rocky, and Marshall led the charge as they sped over to city hall, as the rest of the pups parted ways. Once they arrived, Ryder began to delegate roles to Marshall and Rocky.

"Ok, now that we're in the center of the city, we can split ways and cover more ground. Rocky, I want you to stay close to the city, and Marshall, follow the outskirts and check the surrounding areas. I'm going to run up to Jake's Mountain to let them know about the situation." And with that, Ryder took off on his ATV. Rocky turned to Marshall, and gave him a firm nod.

"Good luck, Marshall. Let's go find our friend!"

"You too, Rocky. Call if you find anything."

Marshall hopped back in his ambulance, and Rocky in his recycling truck. They gave one last wave before splitting off from each other.

* * *

Skye was up in her helicopter, away from all of the panic that was taking place on the ground.

"Wow, these past few days have been crazy...first there was the volleyball game, and the situation in the Lookout, and now he's gone."

She couldn't believe how much had happened since that fateful day. As she thought about all that went down, she nearly forgot the task at hand.

"Right. I have a job, and that job is to find Chase. Ruff! Goggles!"

Skye's goggles flipped down over her eyes, and refocused so she could observe the ground. But there was so much of it, she didn't know where to start.

*sigh* "I hope Marshall's having better luck than me."

* * *

Back on the ground, Marshall was racing past the beach by the bay. He never stopped to look, because he had a lot of ground to cover.

"Nope, don't see him here. Mam, where should I look next?"

Marshall thought hard about the most likely places to find Chase. And then, it clicked.

"Hey, maybe he's closer to the Lookout! He wouldn't have gone far from it, because it's our home."

With a new target in mind, Marshall popped on his sirens and drove as fast as his ambulance could go. He traced half of the border of Adventure Bay in only a few minutes. Before he knew it, Marshall was able to see the Lookout sticking out above the treeline.

He pulled over, and turned off his ambulance. Marshall hopped out, and began nosing around for Chase's scent. Marshall had a keen nose, albeit not as good as Chase's, but he could still track a scent if he tried. He stuck his nose in the air, and breathed in deeply.

"Hmm, I can't smell anything...well, maybe it I tried moving closer to the ground..."

But before Marshall could move a paw, the wind shifted. He froze, and took in another deep breath. A new smell hit his nose...the unmistakable smell of fear.

Marshall wasted no time calling Ryder and the pups.

"PAW Patrol, this is Marshall. I think I know where Chase is."

"That's great news, Marshall! Where is he?" Ryder asked.

"I think he's somewhere in the woods behind the Lookout, but I haven't gone in to look yet."

"Okay, we'll all keep searching for him while you go in to look, just in case it's a false alarm. You should have another pup to help you look." He paused before swiping his paw pad over Skye's symbol.

"Hey, Skye, it's Ryder. Marshall thinks he may know where Chase is, but he needs another pup to help him. Can you meet him by the woods behind the Lookout?"

"Sure thing, Ryder! This pup's gotta fly!"

Skye cut communication with Ryder to call Marshall.

"Marshall, it's Skye. Ryder sent me over to help you search, so I'll be there in just a minute."

"Oh, good! I could use some help; there's a lot of trees in here!"

"I'll be right over, then. Skye, out."

Marshall's pup tag went silent. He sat on the edge of the vast woods, slightly intimidated by its size.

"Err, I don't have time to wait for Skye! What if he's hurt? What if he's lost? *gulp* What if I get lost?" Shaking his head at the thought, he quickly dismissed any worries that he had.

"I need to be strong. Be brave. For Chase...my friend."

Taking one last look around, he swallowed his fear, and began to make his way into the maze of trees. He started off just walking, cautious of everything. But he quickly abandoned that philosophy, in favor of a more proactive one.

Marshall sprinted as fast as he could, throwing his gaze in all directions, looking for any sign of the lost shepherd. But he really saw nothing; he only ran, thinking that if he stopped to look, that it wouldn't be the right place. Every second counted, so he pushed his little spotted body to its outer limits. He kicked into overdrive, covering ground faster than Rocky could ever jump out of the bathtub. But so far, all he had succeeded in doing was pushing himself further into the leafy labyrinth.

Even a pup who wouldn't rest until his friend was found was bound to run out of energy at some point. And pretty soon, Marshall found himself slowing to a labored walk. His lungs burned. His throat was dry. And worst of all, he...was lost. Marshall whimpered as he tried to contact Skye through his pup tag.

"Skye! Come in, it's Marshall!"

*static*

"Skye! I'm in the woods, and I'm lost! If you can hear me, hurry!"

*static*

"Well, I guess I gotta keep looking," Marshall said to himself with a shiver.

He looked around him, trying to find anything he could use to get his bearings. He thought about just staying put and letting Skye come and find him. But Marshall knew that wasn't an option. Chase was still out there somewhere, and he didn't know where. And until he did, he couldn't rest a second.

"Oh, Chase, please be alive somewhere...I-need you alive...I-I couldn't take it if you went off and got yourself ki-kill-" he couldn't say the word. He cut his thoughts off before they got to his mind, and he continued the blind search for his friend.

* * *

"Come on , stupid thing! Can't you go any faster!?" Skye was frustrated with her helicopter; every second that she wasn't there with Marshall was just another hole in her heart.

"Ohh, he's probably went in by himself already. And by the time I get there, he would've probably would've found Chase. Or maybe, he got himself in trouble!" The latter thought scared the Cockapoo badly. But she was already going as fast as her chopper would allow. As her thoughts toyed with her, getting her more and more worked up, she heard something that caused her thoughts to utterly freeze in place.

She looked down at her pup tag, and saw that it was blipping. Quickly, she tapped it with her paw, and listened for a voice. But her ears were only met with silence. This troubled her greatly, as she listened on for anything, any sound at all. It took a minute, but a little static began to materialize, and then more static, and then, a steady drone of fuzz.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Skye cried.

Hearing no response, she felt a few tears wind their way down her face. For whoever it was in the other side of the call, she immediately feared the worst. As she saw herself approaching the woods, the signal suddenly cleared. It wasn't by much, but it was just enough to hear a small, scared voice poke through the terrible static.

*indistinct speech* "...-kye! ...-t's Marshall!...-oods-los-...-ear, pl-hurry!" And then, the line went dead. But Skye had heard enough to decide what to do.

"Ruff! Goggles!"

Skye's telescopic goggles focused in, and she looked down at the tops of the trees. Once she zoomed in, she could see a clearing in the trees. Without even checking to see if it was big enough, she pushed the throttle as far forward as she could, and raced towards the treetops.

"I'm coming, Marshall. Just hang in there."

* * *

"No, wait. That's the same tree! Or wait, no it isn't. But no, it has to be! Ugh, Marshall, why did you have to blow off those survival lessons that you had with Chase!?"

The spotted pup was hopelessly running in circles, lost, and getting no closer to finding Chase.

"The trees are too thick to see the sun clearly, and there's no moss on them either." *sigh*

Marshall had no way to navigate the convoluted woods. And the clock was still ticking.

"Ok, Marshall, what else did Chase teach you?" He thought back to his lessons with the shepherd a few weeks back.

 _"...and if you ever get lost where you can't see the sun, let nature be your guide. If you listen closely, it will point you to safety. You just have to listen..."_

"That's it!" Marshall remembered exactly what to do. He calmly sat on his hind legs, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

 _'Okay, nature. I'm listening.'_

Then, the world opened up to him. He heard different types of birds chirping...and a distant cicada buzzing...and...water!

He calmly turned toward the sound, and opened his eyes, checking to make sure he was hearing correctly. And sure enough, about a hundred meters away, Marshall could see a rushing river.

"Yes!" Marshall fist-pumped the air, rejoicing that his memory stayed intact. He quickly ran in the direction of said river, hope beginning to return to the dalmatian.

After following the river for some time, Marshall looked ahead and saw that the trees seemed to be thinning out.

"Hey, maybe I can get a signal to call Skye!" he said to himself.

Wasting no time at all, he booked it down the river bank, twisting and weaving his way through what trees stood in his path. After a few minutes, he looked up, and was able to see patches of actual sky. He quickly tapped his pup tag and tried for a signal.

"Skye, come in, Skye! It's Marshall." The silence that followed was agonizing. "Come on, come on, this is my best shot. It has to work!" But after what felt like an eternity, his ears were finally met with a voice.

"Marshall? Oh my god! Are you okay?" Skye's panicked tone spoke volumes about how much she worried.

"Well, I was lost for a while, and now, I'm following a river. I stopped in a bit of a clearing amd tried to contact you, and it worked. Where are you now?"

"I can see the clearing through the treetops, and I'm almost there. I'm gonna try to get my helicopter down to the ground as close as I can. Tell me, does it look like the trees keep getting thinner as you follow the river?"

Marshall looked down a ways, and he could definitely see a difference.

"Yeah, they definitely clear up. Are you gonna try to land through the trees?"

"That's my only option, unless I land at the edge of the woods. Head down river and when you hit the big clearing, let me know. I might need your help to get down there."

"Okay. Will do!"

Marshall left his pup tag on idly as he bounded towards the big clearing. He prepared himself to guide her in as he looked up to the sky. Once he was in position, he called up to her.

"Okay, Skye, I'm ready."

"Alright, Marshall. When I fly over, I'm going to start descending. If it looks like I need to move, it's your job to tell me."

And with that, Skye began her descent.

Marshall trusted that she was a very good pilot, and so he wasn't watching her as closely as he should've been. His eyes began to wander a bit, and he happened upon a patch of fuzzy dandelions.

"Ooh, dandelions!"

He leaped over into the patch, and started plucking them one by one. He was so preoccupied by the fluffy plants, that he didn't even notice that Skye had already landed.

Marshall looked up as he was about to blow on one of the dandelions, and he met eyes with a very happy Skye.

"Oh, Marshall, why do you have to be so silly?" she asked as she ran over and gave him a hug. When she let go, a sudden gust of wind tore through the area, whipping up all sorts of things. Marshall's dandelions were quickly decimated by the breeze, but just as he was about to complain, the wind brought something else to them. Marshall stopped giggling, and elevated his nose to meet the scent. Without a word, he jumped up out of the dandelion patch and bolted off in a distinct direction.

"Marshall? Where are you going?" Skye shouted to him.

"Skye, he's here! Follow me!"


	8. Pain

"Skye, he's here! Follow me!" the dalmatian shouted back at Skye. Without waiting to see if she heard, he continued running. Trusting that he knew something, she quickly followed him.

But when Marshall stopped all of a sudden, Skye knew that something was wrong.

"Marshall, why did you stop?" she asked him.

"The smell stops here. But, there's nothing."

As Skye walked up next to him, all she saw was another clearing with a large pond smack in the middle of it. Marshall went to work, burying his nose into the ground just as Chase would've done. Skye watched as he walked all the way around the pond, without stopping. Once he reached where he started, he paused for a moment, analyzing what his nose was telling him. Skye watched with hopeful eyes as she suddenly saw him turn towards the pond, and jump in.

Skye quickly ran over to the bank of the pond, and peered into the murky water. But Marshall was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, Skye called Ryder to tell him what happened.

"Ryder! It's Skye! Marshall was following a scent through the woods, and he just jumped into a big pond. I can't see him in there, and I'm scared!"

"Whoa, Skye. Slow down. What happened, exactly?" Ryder questioned.

"I found a clearing in the trees, and I landed near Marshall. A big gust of wind came, and Marshall just took off after this scent. I followed him until we got to the pond, and he sniffed around it. Then he just jumped in. I can't see him, and he hasn't come up yet." At this point, Skye was in tears, finding it difficult to talk.

"Hold tight, Skye! Me and the pups are on our way!" Don't dive in after him; we need you for when we get there."

"Okay, Ryder, but hurry!" Ryder cut the call, which left Skye all by herself. She knelt down by the edge of the pond, and let her tears fall onto the water's surface. For all she knew, she had lost both of the pups that she had cared about, one after the other.

But she didn't have to worry for long, because Marshall suddenly broke the surface, covered in mud and completely out of breath. She quickly helped him onto shore, and dragging behind him...was the body of the shepherd.

Once on land, Marshall wasted no time getting out his medical equipment.

"Ruff, *pant* stethoscope!"

Marshall's pup pack opened to reveal his stethoscope, which was catapulted onto his ears. He put the metal piece on Chase's heart, and after a few seconds, his bright blue eyes transformed into a blazing inferno of determination. He whipped the stethoscope off, and began pushing on Chase's chest with all of his might.

Marshall was attempting to perform CPR, something that he had never had to do before. Skye could only watch in desperation as Marshall repeatedly pushed, relaxed, pushed, relaxed. He dropped his head to Chase's chest, and frowned as he opened Chase's muzzle. Marshall took a deep breath, and blew into it, trying to inflate Chase's lungs. After blowing, he returned to chest compressions, but Marshall was growing tired. He pushed himself as hard as he possibly could, but his spotted body gave up on him. He was just too weak to continue. With a tear already sliding down his cheek, he put his head to Chase's chest one last time.

Silence.

Marshall slowly got up, and backed away from the lifeless body. Skye walked over to him, and put a paw around his shoulder. Marshall just stood in silence, letting the waters of grief pour from his eyes. He leaned his head over to Skye, and she returned the gesture. After a minute, Marshall dropped his head away, and approached Chase's body. He knelt down in front of him, and laid his head down on his chest.

"Chase...why did you have to run away? I-I wish it didn't have to be like this...I-really tried to save you...but I wasn't good enough..."

He turned to look at Skye, and she gave him a silent nod, gesturing to his pup tag. With a heavy heart, Marshall made the call to Ryder.

"-R-Ryder? It's Marshall."

Sensing the sadness in his voice, Ryder asked him, "Marshall, what's wrong? Did you find Chase?"

"He-he's...gone, Ryder. I-I couldn't save him."

There was only silence on the other line, as the news that Ryder had received was earth-shattering.

*sniff* "Just sit tight, Marshall...I'll be there soon." Ryder cut communication abruptly, only furthering the dalmatian's depression.

Unsure of what to do, Marshall just leaned back on Skye, as they laid next to Chase. The woods were filled with an eerie silence. The two friends just sat together, keeping each other afloat in the times of sadness.

Chase was the first one to break the silence. All of a sudden, the shepherd started to sputter, choking on the water that filled his lungs. Marshall jumped up and ran over to him. He pushed on Chase's chest, and was successful in getting some water out of him. But it wasn't enough; Chase was still gasping for air, and was blue in the face. In an act of pure desperation, Marshall let go of him, took a step back, and jumped on top of him with his full body weight. Chase heaved, and a large amount of water spilled from his muzzle. He coughed and spluttered as the air tried to get past the water. After a few seconds, he was finally able to take a ragged, desperate breath of air. As he started to breathe by himself, Skye ran over to Marshall and began to swing him around.

"You did it, Marshall! You brought him back!"

She quickly pulled the dalmatian in close to her, and planted a kiss on his lips. Marshall's eyes went wide as HE became the one desperate for air. But he made no effort to resist.

And Chase was right there next to them, watching all of it. All of the affection, all of the happiness, and the kiss...

'SHE-SHE JUST KISSED HIM!' In a flash, Chase was on his feet. Both Marshall and Skye froze in place as the shepherd now stood in front of them, after being lifeless just a few short minutes ago.

"What. Are. You. Doing?" Chase growled at Skye, approaching her slowly.

"Chase, I-I-" Skye didn't have time to finish, as Chase lunged at her. Marshall saw him go after her, and he quickly jumped in front of her, letting Chase knock him down instead of her. The two males struggled on the ground, kicking and clawing at one another. Marshall was on the bottom of the pile, and Chase took advantage of his position. He bit Marshall's ear, getting the dalmatian to scream as Chase held on tight. Marshall tried to flail out of Chase's grip, but doing so only hurt himself more. In desperation, Marshall swung his head forward, hitting the shepherd in his own forehead. Chase was sent sprawling, but not before pulling Marshall's ear along with him. Marshall shrieked as warm blood trickled down his face. In Chase's teeth, Marshall could see a small piece of his ear hanging loosely. Chase spat Marshall's ear out, and charged the dalmatian once more. Skye wanted to return Marshall's protection, so she attempted to intercept Chase and protect Marshall from further harm. Chase, however, knocked her off to the side.

"This isn't our fight, Skye. Marshall's the real traitor!" With a howl unlike any other, Chase ran at Marshall with almost superhuman speed. Marshall barely had time to blink before Chase was on top of him again. This time, the shepherd had him pinned properly, so there was no hope of escape. Marshall could only watch as Chase twisted himself around and grabbed Marshall's leg with his teeth. And then, he began to bite.

Marshall's eyes nearly popped out of the sockets as the pain was almost too much to fathom. Chase continued his slow, and excruciating torture, as Marshall was in the verge of passing out. Skye pressed her pup tag and shouted into it, "Ryder! Anybody! Hurry! Chase is trying to kill Marshall!"

And just as she said that, a gray blur jumped out from nowhere. Skye could barely see it as it sped toward Marshall and Chase, and struck Chase with such force that the shepherd was sent airborne. He careened through the air, before landing hard on his chest.

The gray blur finally slowed enough to show itself.

"Oh my god, Marshall! What happened!?" Rocky exclaimed, rushing over to the crippled pup.

Marshall was struggling to speak. He smiled weakly.

"I-I love her." And with that, Marshall lost consciousness.

"RYDER! RYDER! PUPS! HURRY! MARSHALL IS HURT!" the mixed breed screamed.

After a moment, Rocky heard a dull roar, and Ryder's ATV pulled up to the pond. He threw his helmet off and immediately sprinted over to Marshall. As he observed the full extent of the dalmatian's injuries, he turned to look at one pup in particular, who was sprawled out on the ground. And he wasn't breathing.

* * *

 **Yeah! These chapters were so much fun to write. Huge shout out to** **xKovu 01 for the idea! This story doesn't have much left before the climax, so I hope that I can write something that can top this :-P I would love some feedback on these two chapters, so feel free to let me know how I did :-D . Because I put up two chapters today, I still gotta decide if I wamt to put one up tomorrow. So keep your eyes peeled for that if it happens. Again, wow, I don't think i've ever had such a blast writing as I did with these. So thanks for tuning in, and until next time, peace!**


	9. Worry

**I decided not to upload yesterday to start preparing for the coming chapters, because crap is about to hit the fan. I'm having a lot of fun with this story, and it's only getting better :-D My schedule tomorrow will shift my writing time to later at night, so I will try my best to get an update out on one of the two stories. But anyways, please enjoy!**

* * *

After shaking the disbelief from his expression, Ryder quickly took on a new feeling: fear. As fast as humanly possible, he scooped up Marshall and Chase, and made a beeline for his ATV. But as soon as he turned to run, his foot caught on a gnarly tree root. He was sent straight to the ground, dropping his two injured pups.

After recovering from his fall, he turned to look at what had tripped him, and just next to the root, lay the body of a dead squirrel. Feeling a touch of sadness for it, he quickly re-engaged his focus. He had two pups in critical condition, and they needed to get help fast!

"Hold on, Ryder!" he stopped running, and turned to see a heartbroken Skye, cradling Marshall's medic cap. She slowly approached him, and placed it gently on the dalmatian's head. Then, she gave him a feathery kiss on his cheek. _"Hold on, Marshall. We're gonna get you get through this."_

She looked over at the area where her two teammates were fighting just a short time ago, and saw something that stirred her emotions greatly. Laying limp, and bloody, on the ground, was the other half of Marshall's ear. Skye grimaced as she walked over, picked it up, and handed it to Ryder. He secured it in the carrying box on the back of his ATV.

Giving the dalmatian one last word of encouragement, she backed away, letting Ryder pick him and Chase up. He hopped on his ATV, and began to make his way back to the Lookout. He drove with very little caution, as if Hell itself was behind him. The pups followed closely, sensing the fear and urgency in his action.

It took mere minutes for them to reach the Lookout, where they sped around to Katie's clinic. In the chaos, Ryder had forgotten to warn her about what had happened. So when that door opened, and Ryder held the two critical pups in his arms, Katie nearly had a heart attack.

"Oh my g-What happened!?" she gasped as Ryder laid them on two of the tables in the room.

"There was a fight, and they got beaten up pretty badly. Can you help them?" Ryder pleaded, not wasting any time with details. Hi s eyes were watery with desperation.

"I-I don't know, Ryder. I've never worked on a patient that was-" she cut herself off as she saw that what she was saying was quickly making things worse for him. She took a deep breath.

"I can help them, Ryder." Almost before she could finish, Ryder trapped her in a vice-like embrace. Feeling a tear trickle from his eyes and onto her shoulder, he whispered into her ear.

 _"Thank you."_

Ryder ended his display of gratitude, and quickly regained composure.

"Back away, pups. Let's give her some space."

She nodded in appreciation, and quickly began her work.

Katie started with a quick overall assessment of the two pups. She felt around both of them, and took a few readings with various tools. She concluded that Marshall had infections on both his ear and his leg, and a fever as a result of them. She also discovered that Chase was suffering some sort of internal trauma. Katie decided to prioritize Marshall's injuries first.

She wanted to address the ear first, as ear wounds on a dog tend to bleed significantly. Katie started by disinfecting it, and then removing what blood was on the surface. She reached over to a table of medical supplies and grabbed a small bottle of powder. She shook some in her hand and began gently patting it onto Marshall's ear. "This helps the blood to clot quickly," she explained out loud. Then over the top of the powder, Katie wrapped some gauze around and taped it in place. She then moved on to his leg.

She wanted to administer medicine to help bring his fever down, but the probem was that the medicine also tends to increase bleeding. Following her better judgement, she put the bottle of medicine aside, and went straight to disinfecting the bite on his leg. While she did this, Ryder approached her, and presented the part of Marshall's ear that was torn off. She smiled weakly as Ryder put it into her hands. Katie quickly prepared a container filled with ice to help preserve it. After putting it in the container and sealing the lid, she turned around, but saw something alarming.

The table was covered in blood, and Marshall's leg was bleeding unabated. She jumped back to the table and furiously tried to clean up as much of the blood as she could. But it was pouring out faster than she could keep up. Realizing the imminent threat, she prepared a tourniquet and wrapped it around the wound as tightly as she could. She turned to the PAW Patrol with a look of fear and disappointment in her abilities.

"Ryder, pups, I'm not equipped to deal with this kind of trauma. Marshall needs professional treatment, so he needs to get to an animal hospital fast!" Ryder quickly assisted her in transferring the dalmatian into Skye's helicopter. Turning back to the pups, Ryder looked at Skye.

"Skye, your helicopter is the fastest way to get Marshall to the hospital. We need you to fly him there right away." After receiving a sad nod from the Cockapoo, he then turned to Katie.

"Do you think you have Chase under control here?" he asked her.

"Based on his assessment, I think I have what I need right here. Go on, be with Marshall. I know you're worried about him." She reached over and returned his hug from earlier. After a few seconds, Ryder broke the hug and quickly sped away on his ATV.

Katie reentered the clinic and walked back to the table. But when she looked at Chase, something was a little bit off. Feeling his chest, it was very hard, almost rigid. Knowing what this could entail, she secured a blood pressure cuff around his leg, and took a reading. Reaffirming her thoughts, Chase's blood pressure was surprisingly low. He turned once again to the pups that were still there.

"Rocky, I know that this is a big request, but Chase is a lot worse off than I thought. He has a pretty large amount of internal bleeding in his chest, and needs to get to the hospital in a hurry. Chase's police cruiser is the fastest vehicle we have here, and you're the most tech- smart pup on the team. Even though you're not used to driving it, would you be able to take Chase?" Rocky knew that as mad as he was with the shepherd, he still needed their help, and Katie's request made sense. Clenching his jaw, Rocky looked at Katie.

"Sure, I can take him."

Katie got Chase all loaded up in the passenger seat, she also grabbed the box that contained Marshall's ear. "Skye didn't have room in her helicopter for this, but maybe the doctors can still do something with it." She placed it between Rocky and Chase, and sent them off.

On the way there, Rocky had no problems driving Chase's cruiser, so he had plenty of time to think. He gazed at the unconscious pup next to him, and spoke with a vengeance.

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Chase. You went and nearly got Marshall killed, and now look at you. I didn't want to have to hurt you like that, but you really didn't give me a choice. And now, you're on your way to the hospital, where your best friend is now, too. He's probably being put through all sorts of tests and things that he never deserved, and YOU did this to him because you were selfish!" Rocky gave a sigh as he shook his head. "Why did you do it, Chase? Why did you do it?" Almost forgetting that Ryder didn't know about Chase, he quickly gave Ryder a call, letting him know that he was on his way with Chase. And with that, he continued driving to the animal hospital.

* * *

Once Rocky arrived at the hospital, an EMT came out with a stretcher.

"Thanks for hurrying, Rocky," he said to the mixed breed, "He looks like he's in pretty rough shape."

Rocky didn't say anything, and just let the EMT take him away. Rocky followed behind him as they entered the hospital, and was directed to the waiting room. When he turned the corner, he was met with sadness. Skye was sitting on Ryder's lap, crying her eyes out. Ryder was just gently petting her head. Rocky ran over, worried that something had happened before he got there.

"Ryder! Skye! What happened?" As he asked the question, he looked over Ryder's shoulder to see Chase being wheeled into the Operations Room. Skye followed Rocky's line of sight, and stopped crying for a brief second. But once she saw it was Chase, she resumed crying. He turned back to his friends, awaiting a response.

Ryder was the first to speak up.

"We-we don't know yet, Rocky. Marshall went into the room, and the doctor hasn't come out yet.

Ryder paused for a moment, and then got a puzzled look on his face.

"Pups, why exactly did Marshall and Chase get into a fight?"

Skye looked at him, but wasn't really in any shape to explain. Rocky quickly saw this and stepped in for her.

"Skye didn't like the way that Chase was treating the other pups, so she drifted away from him. She started hanging out with Marshall, and he got jealous of them. But his jealousy just pushed Skye further from him, and closer to Marshall. Once they started getting closer, I guess he just snapped. He...couldn't bear to see his best friend with his mate. He felt betrayed by Marshall, so that's why he attacked him."

Rocky looked at Skye, making sure that he didn't leave anything out. She gave a quiet nod of affirmation. Ryder looked at both of them, and gave a long sigh. It wasn't because he was frustrated with either Rocky or Skye, but at the fact that his police pup, the pup that he chose to be the leader, would let jealousy get the better of him.

After the pups and Ryder sat in silence for a little less than an hour, the door to Marshall's room opened. His doctor emerged from the room, and made his way over to Ryder, Rocky, and Skye. Once he had their attention, he began to update them on Marshall's condition.

"Well, I have some good news," he started. "Despite Marshall's ear bleeding badly after we removed the bandages, we were able to stem the bleeding by cauterizing the tissue. That worked very well, and we were also able to stitch his ear back together. But-" he paused for a moment, "his leg injury is a bit more severe. We discovered that parts of his leg bone were fragmented, and some of the fragments knicked an artery. The bleeding is pretty bad, and so we are still in the process of getting it under control. After we get it stopped, we can treat it and stitch it back up."

The doctor gave everyone a chance to absorb what he told them, and then continued once again.

"Oh, and one more thing. After stitching Marshall's ear, he actually woke up. When he did, he told me to give this to Skye." He reached into his doctor's coat and produced Marshall's medic cap. Skye's eyes lit up when she saw it. "He also told me 'I know it'll make her feel better.' " Marshall's doctor handed the cap over to Ryder, and he helped put it on Skye's head. She smiled, having a part of him with her to keep her calm. "If we make any progress with Marshall, I'll be right here to tell you." Ryder and the pups thanked Marshall's doctor, and he returned to Marshall's room. After he closed the door, a wave of relief washed over Ryder, Rocky, and Skye.

In their moment of happiness, they nearly forgot about their other friend who was injured. So when Chase's surgeon walked out of the Operations Room, they weren't expecting it at all. He appoached them with a frown.

"Well, where do I start...I don't really have much to say. There's been some, complications during surgery."

Ryder and the pups were silent. Tears were starting to escape Ryder's eyes. Chase's surgeon paused. And then, he said it.

* * *

 **Ohh, boy! What happened to Chase? And will they be able to stop the bleeding on Marshall's leg? So many questions! Drop a review with what you think is gonna happen, or what you want to happen. I can't wait for the news on Marshall and Chase! And I bet you guys can't wait either! If I can pump out another chapter tomorrow, I will try my hardest, because I wanna see what's gonna happen too! Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya next time :-)**


	10. Brother

**What's up, everyone? I'm back from being sick (almost :-P ) and raring to write! It sucked that I had to get sick right when the story was taking off, but alas, I couldn't bear to let my ideas just sit around. With this chapter, be forewarned that there may be some thoughts or images that are disturbing, and there will be a lot of emotion. Oh, and just a sidenote, to all of those guests and reviewers reviewing multiple times, asking for EverestxChase, I don't plan on it. Anyways, I'm pretty happy with this chapter, and so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Well, when we got Chase's chest open, we quickly discovered that a chip of bone from his rib cage punctured one of his lungs, and it had collapsed. We had no choice but to leave him opened up while priority was redirected to inflating his lung and sealing the puncture. All attempts to reinflate it thus far have been unsuccessful, so we have him on life support to keep oxygen flowing to his brain while we continue treatment. Unfortunately, it's not very safe to leave a patient open for a long period of time while they aren't being operated on, as it increases the likelihood for an infection to develop. So we have all of our best surgeons, including myself, working around the clock to ensure that he has a successful operation."

Chase's surgeon made sure that everyone present understood what he told them, and told them that he would report back when progress was made. He hurriedly made his way back to the Operations Room, leaving Ryder and the pups to themselves.

But it wasn't quiet for long. As soon as Chase's surgeon closed the door, a low growl suddenly broke the silence among the group. Everyone's eyes turned to meet the sound, and they were met with an unlikely sight.

"He had it coming to him," a vengeful Rocky spoke quietly, but boldly. This was enough to attract Ryder and Skye's attention, but Rocky went on. "That's right, Chase. You're a monster. With no regard for anyone's safety, you mercilessly attacked Marshall. You even shoved Skye hard enough to knock her down. You're so selfish to even THINK of hurting your two closest teammates. One was your best friend, and the other was your mate. And you ripped them apart like they meant nothing to you at all..."

Ryder took this moment to interject in utter disbelief at what he was hearing.

"Rocky? What has gotten into you? That's no way to talk about your teammate."

Rocky gave an amused laugh, and then retaliated.

*pfft* "He's hardly a teammate anymore. Ryder, I was there when Chase tackled Marshall to the ground. I saw how violent he was to Marshall, ripping his ear off, crushing his leg, and making no effort to stop. Heh, if I wouldn't have jumped in and knocked him off of Marshall, I have no doubt that he would've went for the finishing blow. He wanted Marshall dead. I saw the bloodlust in his eyes. He was only crippling Marshall's leg to keep him from running away, before he finished him off. He was going to go for Marshall's throat. I-" Rocky paused, sniffling as a tear trickled down past his nose. "I saw it all, Ryder. I saw him grin as Marshall's eyes rolled back in his head. I saw him eye Marshall's throat with a look of pure satisfaction. He was trying to eliminate his competition, *sniff* and he would've done it if I didn't jump in and protect Marshall. Imagine what would've happened if I got there only a few seconds later. We...we would've lost our fire pup...*sniff* If it wasn't for Marshall...I-I wouldn't be here." Rocky teared up as he began to remember that fateful day.

* * *

Flashback

It was a warm and beautiful day at the pup park, and all of the pups in Adventure Bay were down there enjoying their day. All...except for one pup.

"Hey, Rocky, what'cha got there?"

The gray pup looked up to see the face that had striken fear into his heart for months now. Swallowing his fear, he tried to keep calm.

"It's something I invented from a spoon and some old boards. It launches things, whatever you want!" Rocky took pride in his launcher, and he paused to let the pup take a good look at it. After a good few seconds, he looked at the brown Pitbull known as King, awaiting his reaction with a cringe. And as expected, it wasn't good.

"Heh, you said you made this out of some garbage, right?" King sneered. "Well, it's not bad for a bunch of trash. Say, how big of an object do you think it could launch?"

"Well, it couldn't be much bigger than a cat or a small p-" but he never got the chance to finish. King grabbed Rocky around his neck and forced him into the bucket of the launcher. With an evil smile, he turned it to face the community pool.

"King! Wait! I don't like water! I don't know how to sw-" The launcher was triggered, and Rocky was sent flying through the air. As he began falling, he said his prayers.

 _"Thank you for giving me my brain, and my heart, and making me who I am. Even if people don't appreciate me, I know that in the end, it doesn't matter. Thank you for giving me life, and giving me those who care about me, even if it wasn't very many."_ His prayers continued as he hit the water.

 _"Well, I don't have long now, but thank you for giving me a chance. I'm just sorry that I couldn't do anything with it."_ And with that, Rocky closed his eyes, ready to accept his watery grave.

But life apparently had a different plan for Rocky.

Before he knew what was happening, he was yanked out of the water by a paw. The unknown pup sprawled him out on the warm grass, letting him cough and splutter. After coming to, Rocky opened his eyes to see the Devil himself.

"Heh heh, you think I would let you die in there? And end my fun forever? Aww, I couldn't let you off that easily!" The pitbull smiled disgustingly as he dragged Rocky along the ground by his collar. As he was being dragged to god knows where, Rocky only had one thought.

 _"Why am I still alive? I was so close to being free, and I had to be pulled away from what I wanted. Hopefully, this time he finishes the job."_

But this time, someone noticed.

All of the commotion caught the attention of a little Dalmatian, who was off playing by himself.

"What is that pup doing to him?" he asked himself, dropping his tug toy. He stood up to get a better look at the situation. And what he saw was horrible.

"Hey, Rocky, how would like to become the honorary mascot of the park? We could even get you your own flag!" King took Rocky up the slide, and up the metal steps to the top of the playset. From there, he grabbed Rocky's collar with his teeth, and hoisted the mixed breed up onto the flagpole.

Rocky immediately grabbed for his throat, being choked by his weight pulling him down.

"Hmm, this flag's looking a little wet. Maybe I ought'a let it dry out a bit. Don't worry, I'll be back to check on you in a while!" And with that, King left Rocky hanging from the pole.

Rocky was struggling to get himself free. There was almost no way he could escape. But frankly, Rocky didn't care all that much. Rocky almost smiled as he looked on at the rest of the pups playing. It was at this moment that every pup in the park was happy.

As Rocky's collar dug into his throat, he made no effort to free himself. He welcomed the feeling of sleepiness when it came to him. He would've laughed if he could've. He was excited for all of the pain, and the torture, and the living to finally end. He happily closed his eyes as he felt himself start to pass out.

But of course, life wouldn't let Rocky off that easily.

He was again jerked from his current position, and hurriedly tugged out to the sand. The Dalmatian who rescued him began to check Rocky over, looking for any sign of serious injury. First, he checked to see if he was breathing.

"Okay, he's alive!" The spotted pup rejoiced as he removed his head from the gray pup's chest. But trouble was on the horizon.

King had returned with some of his pals to show them what he had done to poor Rocky. And naturally, he talked himself up to make it sound like he was fantastic. But when he and his friends got to the playset, Rocky was no longer stuck on the pole. King's gang turned to him, looking for an explanation. Stuttering for a second, he quickly scanned the area. And then, he laid eyes on the answer. Standing over the top of the gray pup was none other than the Dalmatian, growling and baring his fangs.

"You did this to him." he challenged King.

The pitbull laughed as he saw the pathetic excuse of a pup try to intimidate him.

"Oh, boy. Ya got me! Ooh, I'm really scared! Hey guys, how 'bout some help with this one!" He turned to look to his friends, and they nodded with a grin. Everyone's eyes returned to the Dalmatian, who was prepared to defend Rocky with his life. The bigger pups quickly circled around him, and began to take jabs at him. The spotted pup was quick, though, quicker than the big, muscular pups. He had no problem dodging their blows, but their assault had barely started. He knew that unless something happened quickly, the bigger pups would easily overpower him. With a quick breath of mental preperation, he readied himself to die for his new friend.

Without any warning, the Dalmatian lunged at King. Despite his size disadvantage, his will to protect was unmatched. He caught the pitbull off guard, and they were sent tumbing away from Rocky. King's gang didn't know how to react; no one had ever been able to take King down. They merely stood and watched as the two pups battled. The smaller pup knew his advantage was speed, so he needed to tire King out. They circled around each other like boxers in the ring. King, being the stronger and more aggressive pup, slowly made his way over to meet his assailant. But he was easily avoided as the spotted pup danced circles around him. In frustration, King made a blind dash for him, hoping to shock him still so he could finish him in one blow. He threw every ounce of energy into the charge, and it almost worked. But he was sidestepped as easily as a bull, and was sent flying past his target. King got going too fast for his own feet, and sent himself rolling to the ground, completely exhausted. The Dalmatian took a moment to look over where his friend was, and to his surprise, he was awake, and watching the entire fight.

Rocky coughed up copious amounts of blood as he was stirred from his unconsciousness by a large commotion. There, staring at the pitbull who made him wish that he was dead, who was now laying on the ground, was a Dalmatian pup of about his own size. But his thoughts were interrupted when the Dalmatian suddenly bolted towards King, and struck him in the head with the force of his whole body. A sickening crack echoed throughout the park, and then, King was still.

After impact, the spotted pup paused, looking at the result of his actions. Realizing what he had done, he turned to look at King's gang, and began approaching them with a look of determination. They didn't have to think twice to run for the hills. After seeing them sprint away as fast as they could, the Dalmatian ended his facade of acting tough. He bent down over the top of the gray pup, and began to cry.

"I-I just wanted to protect you...I-I killed him instead...I didn't mean to, I just..." Rocky put a paw to his muzzle, and hugged him as hard as he could. "Th-thank you. He's...finally gone. I-He bullied me every day, and I-I wasn't strong enough to fight back. Thank you, uh..."

"Marshall, my name is Marshall." The Dalmatian smiled. "What's your name?"

"R-Rocky. That's what my parents...used to call me." He paused as a tear dripped down onto Marshall's shoulder. But Marshall didn't let him talk any more. He quietly wiped Rocky's eyes, and looked at him.

"Rocky, I've never really had anyone to be with either. My parents...sent me away. They called me a "problem child", and told me that the way I behaved wasn't normal. I've always been a clumsy pup, but they thought I was-br-broken. So, they took me out in the city, and dropped me in the middle of a busy street. They were hoping that I would die there, and after I managed to scamper off to the side before being hit, sometimes, I look back, and I wish I would've..." Marshall trailed off before tearing up himself. He grabbed Rocky again, and held him in an embrace.

"That is, until I found you..." Marshall rocked him back and forth as he began to sing.

 _"I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared. But no one would listen, 'cause no one else cared._

 _After my dreaming, I woke with this fear. What am I leaving, when I'm done here?_

 _So if you're asking me I want you to know..._

 _When my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done. Help me leave behind some, reasons to be missed._

 _Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memory, and leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest."_

Marshall paused to see Rocky crying on his shoulder. He held his head close to him as he continued expressing how much Rocky meant to him.

 _"Don't be afraid. I've taken my beating, I've shed but I'm me._

 _I'm strong on the surface, not all the way thorugh. I've never been perfect, but neither have you..."_ Marshall finished with a tear of his own as he nuzzled his head on Rocky's head.

"Rocky, we are of the same life. We are one in the same. We...are family. I love you like a brother, and I want you to be a part of my life." Marshall released the embrace and put his paws on Rocky's shoulders.

"Can you do that for me?"

Rocky looked up to meet his brother's gaze, and gently licked away Marshall's tears.

"Yes, brother, we will no longer live alone in pain, but together in love." The two brothers just sat there, in each other's arms, watching the sky as their new lives began.

* * *

 **Hopefully some of you guys recognized the song that Marshall sang to Rocky :-P For those who were wondering, it was "Leave Out All the Rest" by Linkin Park. As I was writing that scene after Marshall killed King, the song started playing in my head, and I immediately saw how it fit in. This chapter's goal was to show why Rocky cares so much about Marshall, and how their relationship is infinitely strong. Hopefully I achieved that, so drop a review with what you're thinking! Next chapter should be out by Monday, so hopefully I can stick to my own schedule this time :-P Thanks for reading!**


	11. Ignition

**This chapter might seem pretty ordinary at first, but emotions will be running high, oh yes! Especially at the ending! I have an absolute BOMB ready for you guys at the end, and it-will-light-the-fire! Oh, and please stick around until the very end; I have a question that I want to ask you all. But yeah, enjoy the fireworks!**

* * *

Rocky finished describing the day on which he nearly died, as tears flowed freely from his eyes. Ryder and Skye were taken aback by the connection that the two pups shared.

*sniff* "Marshall means that much to me, Ryder. Chase had absolutely no right to do what he did. Skye abandoned him, so Marshall got with her instead. Marshall did nothing wrong...it was pure spite. And what good is a spiteful teammate, or a friend? Because of what he's done to willfully hurt Marshall and Skye, I can't possibly see him as a teammate, much less a friend. If you were there, and saw the things that I saw happen to MY friend, the closest thing I've ever had to a family..." Rocky trailed off, unable to keep his composure.

Skye felt immensly sympathetic towards Rocky as he buried his head into his paws. In a kind act of friendship, Skye hopped down off of Ryder's lap, and approached Rocky. She removed Marshall's medic cap from her head, and gently placed it on Rocky's head. Feeling Marshall's presence with him, he quietly calmed down, and he moved to lay at Ryder's feet with his head on top of his paws. Ryder reached down and gently patted his head.

"I'm sorry, Rocky...I had no idea that you and Marshall were so close." Rocky gave a sad sigh in affirmation.

A welcome silence fell over Ryder and the pups for the next 15 minutes or so. Everyone just sat, and quietly comforted each other with their presence. Naturally, almost as soon as the peace was formed, it was abruptly broken.

The group was greeted by both Chase's surgeon and Marshall's doctor. They both wore discrepant expressions; it was impossible to guess what they were about to hear. They turned to each other, and back to look at the group. Chase's surgeon spoke first.

"Well, Chase has made it through the initial operation, which revealed that he is suffering from some minor internal bleeding from the same fragments of his ribs that punctured his lung. After physically removing the pieces of bone, we sutured the areas that were damaged and cleaned up the area. In doing so, we found the perforation of his lung, and were able to stitch it closed. This allowed us to successfully reinflate his lung. Right now, the surgeons are double-checking their work to make sure everything was accounted for, and after that's done, we will reevaluate him for any complications or other trauma that may not have been treated. If everything checks out, he'll be sent over to Recovery." He looked over again at Marshall's doctor, and quickly back to Ryder and the pups. "That's all I have to say for now, but Chase is looking like he's gonna make it out okay. As always, I'll hurry back with any updates." Nodding to himself, he made his way back to the Operations Room. That left Marshall's doctor to speak to them.

"Fortunately, I was able to administer a blood thickener to help Marshall's body form a clot, and it worked well. His leg still needed a little more help to stop bleeding, so I applied a loose tourniquet just to give the clot a stable place to start forming. And as far as I can tell, it stopped bleeding completely. So I went ahead and removed the tourniquet and cleaned up the area a bit. The wound was relatively deep, and there wasn't a lot of skin on the area, so it had to be stapled closed. Staples are better at holding the wound together, and are more resistant to breaking than stitches. And also, Marshall's ear has repsonded well to the stitches, and all previous swelling on it has diminished. Marshall was very lucky that he got to me as quickly as he did. Whoever gave his initial treatment was very skilled. In any other circumstance, this sort of trauma would have resulted in an amputation of the leg. At the moment, he's awake and well enough to be seen, so if you'd like to visit him, you can come with me." With a smile, Marshall's doctor motioned for Ryder and the pups to follow.

Once they had arrived at Marshall's Recovery Room, his doctor turned to face them one last time.

"The pain from the staples in his leg and the stitches in his ear are excruciating, and so we gave him the strongest painkillers that we could. As a side effect, Marshall's going to be a little out of it. He may not remember what happened, so if you want to explain it to him, break it to him slowly. He should be fine to talk by himself, though." After the preface, his doctor calmly opened the door.

An elated face popped up from over the bedrail when the door was opened.

"Hey, doc!" Marshall paused for a moment, squinting his eyes. "Oh, hey Ryder! Hey Skye! Hey Rocky! Guess what? Oh, wait-I forgot already. Hehehe!" Ryder walked up to Marshall's bed and sat at the end of it. He leaned over and scratched Marshall behind his good ear.

"It's good to have you back, buddy." Ryder laughed. Marshall didn't really hear him; he was too focused on how good the ear scratch felt. Marshall's tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he let out a long groan as he welcomed the feeling of pleasure over the pain. Everyone laughed at his reaction; you almost couldn't tell that anything was wrong with him. The mangled leg suspended in a sling was the only thing that said otherwise. But Marshall didn't seem to mind now that he had some company.

Rocky and Skye looked at each other, silently trying to decide who should get to visit with Marshall first. After hearing Rocky pour his heart out over the Dalmatian, Skye nodded gently towards Rocky, indicating that he deserves to go first. With a smile on his face, Rocky hopped up onto Marshall's bed, and moved close to him. Licking his face up and down, Rocky expressed his sincere gratitude.

"Oh, I'm so happy that you're okay, Marshall! I was so worried that I was gonna lose my only br-" Rocky choked on the word as the memories flooded into his mind.

Shedding a single tear, he put his forehead on Marshall's chest, avoiding the painful eye contact. He couldn't bear to see Marshall happy with his body so...so...broken. Giving it one more try, he moved his muzzle, and spoke the words directly into Marshall's heart.

"You almost lost me then, and today, I almost lost you. But in the end, we both pulled through for each other...Friends...Brothers..." The poor gray pup lost his composure for a second time. But the Dalmatian looked puzzled.

"Rocky? Why are you crying? Did something bad happen?"

Giving his brother a sad smile, he knew that it wasn't Marshall that was talking to him, but rather the painkillers that were twisting his memory. Knowing that Marshall had to be told before Skye could come over and talk to him, he gave a long sigh, and looked at Ryder for support.

Ryder gave Rocky a nod, and tried to help prepare Marshall for what he was about to be told.

"Marshall," Ryder started, walking over to sit by Rocky, "You may not remember what we are about to tell you, but I promise that whatever we say is the truth. It will be hard to hear...are you ready?"

"Uhh, sure, I guess?" Marshall cocked his head to one side. "Well, it can't be that bad, right?" Ryder and Rocky looked at each other, and then back at Marshall. Ryder continued.

"Marshall, you were involved in a very dangerous fight. You were injured badly, and you almost didn't survive." Ryder placed his hand on Marshall's side as he said this. The Dalmatian's eyes went wide in astonishment, but didn't seem to comprehend the severity of the event.

"Me? In a fight? Did I win?"

"Well, not exactly. Rocky won the fight, in a sense. When you were on the ground, Rocky rushed in and kn-" Rocky cut Ryder off, because he knew _he_ had to say this.

"Marshall, buddy...Chase had you pinned to the ground, and he was going to...he nearly killed you, Marshall. He was going to tear your throat out...I-I saw you in pain, almost unconscious. And you were, helpless. I-I jumped in to stop him, and I saved you." Rocky paused as he nuzzled Marshall. "And you don't have to worry, I got him good. He won't ever fight with you again."

Marshall was absolutely dumbfounded at what he was hearing.

"Wait, why would Chase try to kill me? He's my friend."

Skye saw this as her time to step in, and Rocky recognized the shift in topic. He quickly hopped off, and gave Skye her room, as she snuggled up next to her mate.

"Marshall, you don't remember this either, but I'm not Chase's mate anymore. I'm _your_ mate now."

Again, Marshall was having difficulty believing what he was told.

"I-I have a mate? Whhaaattt? Eww!" Marshall's face twisted and revolted at the thought.

Skye just laughed as she gave his nose a lick. "Marshall, you're such a goof. Of course you have a mate! I love you, and you love me. It's been that way for a while now. Now, are you going to believe me, or am I gonna have to drill it into that thick skull of yours?" She chuckled as she pushed on his head, make him wince in amusement.

"Wow! I have a mate! I didn't think I was _that_ mature, but I guess I am!"

Everyone enjoyed a good laugh as the old Marshall began to shine through the painkillers. But those laughs quickly ended when there was a knock at the door. And when the door opened, a familiar face wheeled someone into the room on a bed.

"Hey, Marshall, I brought you a visitor! Hope you don't mind a little extra company." After the bed was situated, the door was closed behind the surgeon. Marshall innocently turned to look at the pup laying next to him.

"Hey, Chase! Did you know I have a mate?"

The room went absolutely silent.

* * *

 **Oh, crap! Could things possibly get any worse than that? This situation is literally the worst; I love it! How is Chase going to react? Will Marshall realize what he just said? Will there be blood? Tears? Pain? Oh, the suspense! It's so good :-D Phew, sorry about that :-P Just wanted to express how much fun setting up that last part was! Hopefully the title makes sense now. But yeah, I have a question for you guys: I know it's been a while since I have updated on my other story "Too Far", but I have a lot of momentum rolling with this story. So my question is, should I resurrect "Too Far" for an update? Or should I keep the ball rolling with this story? Let me know what you think via pm or review. In terms of timing for the next chapter, I don't know what Wednesday looks like for me yet, so it'll either be Wednesday, or Thursday for sure. So yeah, hope you enjoyed, and hope you're all excited for the next chapter! :-D**


	12. Protect

**Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter! But before you read, I just have some stuff to say. Firstly, I have asked a ridiculous amount to have Chase run away, or to have Chase get with Everest. I just want to say that there will be no runaways, and Chase will not be with Everest. I know it may not be what some of you want, but those ideas just aren't going to work for what I have planned. (And HavocHound, perhaps the reason that you had so many requests for EverestxChase on your last chapter of "Puppy Love Moments" is because all of my readers that wanted EverestxChase, and didn't get it from me, went over to you when they saw that they could get it :-P ) Aside from all of that, here's the next chapter! Also, maybe a slight viewer descretion should be advised, as there will be a fight, and it does get pretty violent. Just a heads up, but anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Every pair of eyes in the room went wide as the words left the Dalmatian's mouth. Eyes quickly darted to look at Marshall, then Chase, and continued this cycle until something broke the silence.

It took many seconds for something to happen, but slowly, all eyes settled on Chase. The Shepherd, still laying on his bed, turned his head to look at Marshall. He was met with a face that expressed only curiosity and enthusiasm. Turning away from the Dalmatian, he curled his body underneath the covers, and tucked his head into himself. After a few seconds, quiet sobs could be heard over the dead silence.

"Chase?" Marshall started, "Why are you crying? Did I-did I do something wrong?" There was genuine concern on his face as he watched the Shepherd quiver and cry underneath his covers. But ever so slowly after he expressed his concern, Marshall could hear the crying start to subside. Eventually, Chase's tears were reduced to only a few sniffles.

"Marshall...we're, friends, right?" Chase began, still turned away from the Dalmatian.

Marshall spoke without thinking, as the painkillers silently held embargo on his thoughts.

"Yeah, Chase, I'm your friend!"

Chase cringed as he heard Marshall say that last word. He uncovered himself, and met eyes with the spotted pup.

"If you're my friend, then why have you hurt me so badly?" A single tear traversed his face when he spoke.

Marshall reacted with naivety, and his confusion persisted.

"Wait, how did I hurt you? You, you don't look hurt."

The Shepherd's eyes shut tightly in frustration with Marshall's response. Allowing another tear to escape, he tried again.

"Marshall, you...you took Skye away from me...*sniff* ...Why did you do it?"

"Because I love her, and she loves me, right Skye?" Marshall turned to look at his mate, and was met with a look of pure dread.

Not understanding her expression, Marshall looked back at Chase, who was now standing on top of his bed. The Shepherd's eyes were now focused on the terrified Cockapoo. And then, for Marshall, something clicked.

"Why did you leave me? I did nothing wrong! And why did you decide on Marshall, of all pups?! Is this revenge for cutting me loose? Is this what I get now?!" Chase was enraged, baring his teeth and emitting a low growl.

Fearing his mate's safety, Marshall boldly stepped in front of her, putting his paws out at arm's length. Marshall's strength was not his own; it was the drugs that he had been given that allowed him to even move in the first place, much less defend Skye.

But Marshall didn't know that.

"Leave her alone, Chase. She wants me."

Before Marshall could even take another breath, Chase was up in front of him, only a nose length's away. The furious Shepherd never even heard him. He didn't need to. He had seen everything he needed.

As soon as he saw Chase advance on Marshall, Rocky was up on his feet, ready to defend his brother. Skye could only watch in silent horror as her worst nightmare was being repeated for the second time. Even Ryder didn't feel safe intervening; he had never seen his police pup act like this before.

And just like that, the all-to-familiar silence had returned. Neither Marshall or Chase made a move as they stared each other down. The room remained this way for what seemed like an eternity. It was as if a landmine had been depressed, and was primed to explode. The only thing keeping it from doing so was the weight that sat atop it.

Deciding that something needed to be done, Skye stepped down off of the bench she was sitting on, and walked up to Marshall. Staying behind him, she approached him at his ear.

"Marshall, why are you doing this?" she whispered to him in fear, crying all the while. He cocked his head to the side she was on, and licked her face clean of tears.

"It's because I lo-"

And then, the weight was lifted.

Chase exploded forward with the strength of a speeding bullet. He simply couldn't allow the Dalmatian to finish.

But out of nowhere, a gray wall of impossible strength came down upon the Shepherd, stopping him cold. A paw was put on his chest, holding Chase down, as another paw was swung with incredible force. The blow connected with his jaw, and nearly broke it. He could immediately taste blood as he continued to struggle underneath the unknown assailant. He looked into their eyes, and saw a smirk stretch across their face as they saw that Chase could not escape. His foe moved to sit on his chest, and lifted his paw from it. He smiled wryly as the paw was put to Chase's throat, and began to push. The Shepherd flailed under the excruciating pain, but was held firmly in place.

"Feel his pain. Feel every scream, every shriek, every drop of blood that he shed. What you have done to him cannot be forgiven."

The pressure on Chase's throat increased.

"The lives that you have damaged, the family that you've destroyed...he-is MY family, MY brother, and MY friend. You may try to hurt him... but it will be the last thing that you ever do. I care about him more than I care about my entire life, because he IS my life. And as long as there is blood in my veins, and strength in my bones, you can NEVER hurt him."

By this point, Chase was on the verge of unconsciousness. Rocky lifted his paw from the Shepherd's throat, and rose off of Chase's chest. He approached a very stunned Marshall, and embraced him with a passion unlike any other.

"You're safe now, Marshall. He won't hurt you ever again."

Completely overloaded from everything that he just witnessed: all of the violence, the emotion, and Rocky's unrelenting will to protect him, Marshall just cried on his brother's shoulder. He was finally beginning to feel the effects of his injuries as the painkillers slowly dissipated from his system. Sensing his pain and exhaustion, Rocky bent down and slid Marshall onto his back. He hoisted himself up onto the stepstool near his bed, and deposited the Dalmatian gently on his pillow. He placed his face near Marshall's face, and gently nuzzled him to sleep.

Once ensuring that his brother was peacefully resting, he hopped down and walked over to the Shepherd still laying on the ground. In a similar fashion, he scooped Chase onto his back, and placed him a little less gently onto his bed. He then motioned for Ryder to call for a doctor.

After several minutes, a general doctor on call opened the door. Ryder gestured to the police pup sprawled out on his bed, and the doctor immediately saw Chase's condition. Without a word, he grabbed the bed and wheeled it out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The time following was quiet, almost tranquil. Rocky and Skye both climbed up onto Marshall's bed, and each situated themself in one side of him. Like a mother lioness guards her cub, they watched over the spotted pup that meant so much to them.

Ryder just sat on the bench beside them, deep in thought. First, there was the fact that one of his pups caused another such great injury that he had to be airlifted to the hospital. Then there was also the fact that Rocky injured Chase badly while protecting Marshall from him, twice. And then there was the fact that Skye had left Chase in favor of Marshall, and that fueled Chase's rage. Ryder didn't know where to start; he didn't know who to be mad at, who to support, or...anything, really.

But in the present time, he was here with Marshall, Rocky, and Skye. They were all hurt in various ways, and right now, they needed him to care for them. So he got up and sat at the foot of Marshall's bed, leaning over to rest his head between Rocky and Marshall. He extended his arms out to encompass all of his pups, and they all snuggled into him. In that moment, they were finally at peace. The room was silent.

* * *

 **Oh, that fight was so satisfying! Rocky totally put Chase in his place, and he did it out of love for his brother! :-D That scenario was a blast to write, and I have to give a big shoutout to xKovu 01 for helping me with the fight scene! Hope you enjoyed, and please let me know what you thought of the fight. Was it intense enough? Did it convey Rocky's super strong bond with Marshall? Any and all feedback is welcome :-) Next chapter should be here either Saturday or Sunday, so stay tuned for that. Oh yeah, and I just recently hit 5000 views on this story, so thank you so much to all who keep coming back and supporting me, and even to those who just popped by. That's a huge accomplishment for me, and it feels really awesome to know that so many people like what I'm doing! Again, thanks for reading!**


	13. Reunion

**Surprise! It's an early morning upload! Well, early for me, that is :-P First, I gotta show xKovu 01 some love, as they helped out a bunch with this chapter! Thanks for that :-D And another surprise! I'm not gonna ramble on an on in the beginning like I usually do! :-P Please, enjoy the story!**

* * *

 _One week later..._

"Easy, Marshall. Take it slow, now." Ryder guided the Dalmatian as he helped him off of his ATV and onto the soft green grass.

"I know, Ryder. I'm just really excited to be back! The hospital was soooo boring!" Marshall eased himself onto three legs, holding his injured leg out to the side to keep the weight off of it.

"You may want to get used to using your leg a bit, Marshall. The doctor says that if you don't, that it will-"

"-Get all stiff and hurt even more? I know, Ryder, I was there when the doctor said that!" The Dalmatian sassed, rolling his eyes and smiling as he finally felt the grass underneath his paws. He took a deep breath, and gently set his injured leg down.

Marshall winced at the expected pain, but hobbled alongside Ryder as they made their way to the doors of the Lookout.

Ryder had told the pups that Marshall was coming home, and so when they arrived at the doors, the Dalmatian was assaulted with licks and hugs from every direction.

"Whoa, easy guys! Marshall is still hurt," Ryder cautioned. Everyone quickly unpiled, hoping they hadn't hurt him any further. Instead, Marshall just laughed and gave them his trademark grin.

"It's okay, Ryder. I'm good!"

And as soon as Marshall said that, he was again knocked to the ground by a gray blur of fur.

"Oh my god, Marshall! You're okay! I was so worried that Ch-" Rocky quickly turned around to make sure that said pup wasn't present before continuing.

Marshall followed Rocky's gaze, and found the Shepherd laying in a corner all by himself, watching the group as they greeted Marshall. He looked, irritated. Marshall couldn't blame him for looking that way; he knew Chase didn't want him there. But as soon as he noticed that he was being looked at, Chase walked off. As Rocky returned his attention to Marshall, the Dalmatian turned back in unison.

"-that Chase really hurt you badly." Rocky walked up to his brother and nuzzled him under his chin, eliciting a happy hum from Marshall. "But I'm glad to see that you're up and walking. You're the toughest pup I know-" Marshall puffed out his chest when Rocky said this. "-Well, besides me." Rocky cracked a smile as Marshall's posture quickly dissolved. This earned the mix a whack on the head from his spotted friend. Now Marshall was the one smiling. Rocky giggled, and Marshall bowed into a playful position.

"I'll show you tough!" He proclaimed as he hobbled after Rocky, who had gleefully ambled away. Marshall was in hot pursuit of Rocky, and whenever he got close to catching him, the mix would add a burst of speed, squealing as he narrowly dodged the grab. Feeling bad for Marshall, Rocky eventually allowed himself to be captured, and Marshall playfully tackled him to the ground.

"Heh heh, not so tough now, are 'ya?" Marshall celebrated as he towered over Rocky.

"Not so fast, Marshall! I still have a chance!"

Marshall smirked as he quickly recalled the one weakness that Rocky had. With a devious grin stretching from ear to ear, he planted his paws on Rocky's belly, and began to squiggle them around. Rocky's determination immediately dissolved as he began squirming and rolling around, desperately trying to escape the clutches of Marshall.

"Ahh, no! Tickle spot! Ahh! Ooh! Marshall! Hehehe! Oohoohoo! Please, hehehe, stop! Ahhehehe!" The mix was completely defenseless as Marshall continued to rub his belly. Marshall could swear this was the biggest he had ever smiled.

After a few minutes, Marshall slowed the tickling, enough to let Rocky catch his breath.

*pant* "Oh, Marshall, you had to go for the tickle spot, didn't you?" *pant*

Marshall just laughed as Rocky continued panting. Rocky poked him on the side, earning a squeal from the Dalmatian.

"Hey, not fair! That's my tickle spot!" Now Rocky was the one laughing hysterically. The two brothers laughed together as they both layed down on their backs against the cool grass.

*sigh* "It's good to have you back, Marshall."

Marshall moved his head so it was resting gently on Rocky's.

*sigh* "Thanks, Rocky. I missed you a lot in the hospital, when you weren't there...it's so nice to see you again."

Ryder watched the two pups from the Lookout doors, still with the others. He smiled, and walked over to them. Ryder approached them from behind, and so they were looking at him upside down.

"Oh, hey Ryder! Hehehe, sorry for running off like that. I just couldn't help it; Rocky is just so much fun to chase!" Marshall apologized as he flipped over to look at Ryder.

"Heheh, that's okay, Marshall. But you should probably come inside to rest for a while."

The Dalmatian gave a big sigh as he looked over at Rocky, and then back at Ryder.

"Hey Marshall, I bet'cha can't make it all the way to the Lookout without tripping!" Rocky playfully challenged the spotted pup.

"Come on, Rocky, that's hardly fair. I'm on three legs, for god's sake!" He smiled back at his friend, knowing that the bet was ridiculous. But the gray pup persisted.

"What if I raised the stakes?" Rocky inquired.

Marshall began drooling as he heard the last word.

"Mmm, steaks!? Where?" He turned to look at Ryder. "Ryder, are we having steak for dinner?"

Ryder laughed at the fire pup's antics before answering him.

"Well, I suppose I could arrange something...I'll have to run it by Zuma, he's been helping me in the kitchen lately."

"Zuma's a pretty good cook, Marshall. Last night, he made tacos, and he even fried homemade tortillas!" Rocky himself started drooling at the mention of Zuma's excellent cooking. Marshall giggled at the thought of the Chocolate Lab up on a little stepstool, wearing a chef's hat, and holding the pan in his mouth with a potholder. And then moving the pan around and giving it a flip, hearing a perfect sizzle as the tortilla landed back in the pan.

Shaking the image from his head, Marshall returned his focus to Rocky's original question.

"Alright, Rocky. What're the stakes?"

"Hmm, how about my share of dessert tonight? I heard Zuma's got peanut butter pie on the menu!"

"Ooh, peanut butter! My favorite!" And without a second thought, Marshall raced of towards the glass doors as fast as his three good legs could carry him. With the motivation being so serious, Marshall defied all physics, and made it all the way to the door without tripping a single time. He screeched to a halt in front of the doors, and smiled wryly as Rocky's jaw just dropped. Marshall happily waited for Ryder and Rocky, and once they arrived, the mix was speechless.

"Wow, Marshall! I-I didn't know you could be so-so-

"Graceful? Coordinated? _Strong?_ "Marshall threw extra emphasis on the last word just for kicks. It took Rocky a second to realize what Marshall had said, but he quickly noticed the little dig he had thrown in.

"Ooh, Marshall! You're gonna wish you didn't tickle me!" Rocky growled in false frustration as he followed Marshall and Ryder inside. The Dalmatian was taken to the TV Room, where his favorite yellow bed was all set up, and his belongings had been moved inside from his pup house.

"I figured you wouldn't want to walk around a whole lot, so I set you up downstairs. But after seeing you play with Rocky, you don't seem to mind all that much!" Ryder laughed, and so did Marshall. Before he left Marshall to rest, he checked to make sure Marshall didn't need anything. "Marshall, do you want anything, or need me to do anything for you?" Ryder asked him.

Marshall thought for a minute. "Yeah, Ryder, I do have something for you to do."

"What is it? he asked.

"Can you get Skye and tell her to come over by me?

Ryder smiled. "Sure, Marshall." He turned to leave, but Marshall wasn't quite done.

"Oh, and Ryder?" Marshall asked, looking around for one particular thing of his that seemed to be missing.

Ryder turned around to look at the Dalmatian.

"Could you...bring me Mr. Teddy? I-I miss him a lot."

"No problem."

"Thanks, Ryder." Marshall smiled as he layed his head down.

After spending several minutes making small talk with Rocky, Marshall was ready to go to sleep after all of the excitement of coming home. But as soon as the Cockapoo ran up into his face, he was wide awake. He quickly rolled over to face her.

"Skye!"

"Marshall!"

The two pups embraced as Skye placed a gentle kiss on his nose. Keeping the embrace, they each expressed how much one missed the other. This was the one time in Marshall's life where he had actually forgotten about Mr. Teddy.

"Skye, you have no idea how boring that hospital was without you there! I actually took joy in counting the specks of color on the white floor tiles! And from what I remember, there were, about 2,439 specks. That's how bored I was." Marshall giggled as he recalled the drab hospital room. He giggled even more when Skye's eyebrows lifted way up.

"Marshall, you're good at math? I had no idea!" She said, stunned, as she nuzzled him in his favorite spot under the chin. He let her nuzzle him for a short while before responding with a smirk.

"Well, I actually kinda made that number up, right now, actually..." Skye gave him a soft whack in the side, in the same tickle spot that Rocky so kindly exploited. He squealed just like last time, making Skye laugh.

"You sound so funny when someone tickles you!" She nudged his nose with her own.

"Why does everyone have to keep tickling me?" he whined, letting out a big sigh of false frustration. He layed his head back down, hoping that Skye would lay next to him. As if she could read his mind, she immediately got up and circled on his bed. She snuggled up inside the little crook he made with his legs, being careful not to bump the injured one.

"Ahh, Marshall...you're so warm, and soft...like a toasted marshmallow." Marshall's eyes snapped open when he heard her say that. He quickly turned to look at her in pure confusion.

"Did you, just compare me to a marshmallow?" The Dalmatian asked her seriously. She giggled at his confusion.

"Of course I did, silly. You're my warm, toasty Marshall-mallow." He couldn't help but giggle at his new name.

"Hehehe, I'm a Marshall-mallow! ...Wait, you're not just saying that because of my spots, are you? Because I don't wanna be a burnt Marshall-mallow." Skye just snuggled into him closer.

"You aren't burnt, you goofball! You're just right: warm, ooey, and gooey."

"Eew! I'm gooey!?"

Skye couldn't contain herself. She burst into laughter at Marshall's apparent opposition to being "gooey".

"Hey, it's not _that_ funny! How would it sound if someone asked me, 'Hey, Marshall! What are some adjectives that people use to describe you?', and I would say, 'Well, some pups think that I'm ooey, and others say that I'm gooey.' " Skye was nearly in tears, throwing her head back in uproarous laughter. Defeated, the Dalmatian put his head back to his pillow, and sighed, closing his eyes.

"Excuse me for not wanting to be 'gooey'."

* * *

 **God, do I love that little Dalmatian! His personality is so much fun to write with :-D Also, I'm sure some of you are like, "What's going on with Chase? Is he still gonna go after Marshall like he's been doing? Will he ever be sorry for what he's done?" And my answer to those questions is, they will all be answered in the next few chapters! Sorry, but I can't be giving my plot away before I upload :-P On the topic of upload, you guys will probably start to see a pattern going on, where I will upload either every other day, or every 2 days like I have been with these past few chapters. That pattern will continue, so the next chapter should be out for either Tuesday or Wednesday. As always, questions or comments are welcome, so hit me up with anything you got :-) That's all I have to say, so thanks for sticking with my story!**


	14. Intentions

**Hey, guys! I am super pumped for this chapter; so much goes down in it it's just crazy XD I just wanna preface it by saying that there will be a scene that may contain graphic injury, and a little coarse language. Aside from that, I tried to pack in as much drama and emotion as I could, and I actually got a bit misty eyed towards the end :-P So without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

 _The next day, in the afternoon..._

"But Ryder, I've been stuck inside _all_ day! Can't I do something besides lay around?" Marshall begged.

"Marshall, you know as well as I do that using your leg too much means that it won't heal. You've been running around all morning, so I think it's time to give your leg a rest." Ryder looked down at the pouting Dalmatian, and was met with a pair of sad, blue eyes. Ryder sighed. Marshall had always been good at using sad puppy eyes to get what he wanted. And Marshall knew that Ryder _always_ fell for them. He grinned to himself as he saw Ryder struggle against his own will, but it was a losing battle.

"Come on, Marshall! Why do you have to use the puppy eyes?"

Marshall laughed, as the answer was clear. Giving his signature Marshall smile, answered with truth.

"Because I know they work."

Ryder laughed, as he knew all too well how powerful Marshall's facade could be.

"You know, you've gotten pretty good at that, Marshall."

The Dalmatian just grinned.

"Heheh, I know!"

Marshall continued his optical assault on Ryder's reasoning, and saw Ryder's jaw clench and unclench with opposition. ' _Yes! He's hit the point of no return!'_

After falling subject to Marshall's exploitation, Ryder finally caved in. He let out a big sigh, and Marshall immediately knew he had won.

"I have an idea that would get you out of the Lookout for a while, _and_ it wouldn't involve using your leg much," Ryder suggested. Marshall yipped in delight and fist-pumped the air.

"What is it, Ryder?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe a quiet drive around Adventure Bay would do you some good." The Dalmatian howled with approval.

"All right! I can't wait to get out and stretch my paws a bit!"

And with that, Ryder scooped up the fire pup, and carried him out the Lookout doors. But when Ryder began walking toward his ATV, Marshall started squirming in Ryder's arms. Ryder looked down at him in confusion.

"What's up, Marshall? You wanted to get out of the Lookout, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I didn't wanna just ride along! I wanted to drive my firetruck."

"I don't know, buddy, it's probably not a good id-" Ryder was interrupted when Marshall started licking his neck vigorously. It tickled him so much that dropped Marshall onto the grass, which is exactly what the Dalmatian wanted. He rolled himself in midair to land on his back, and gleefully ambled over to his firetruck. He hopped in, started his truck, and flashed a toothy smile.

"Bye, Ryder! Thanks for letting me go!" Marshall laughed as he waved and drove away, leaving Ryder with his mouth hanging open.

"Heheh, well he _is_ good at getting his way," Ryder laughed as he pulled his pup pad out to call Marshall.

*blip blip* "Oh, hey Ryder! What's up?" Marshall answered, giving a completely innocent, but hardly genuine smile.

"Oh, you know, just checking in on my escapee, that's all." Ryder smiled, signaling to the Dalmatian that he wasn't mad with him. Marshall laughed freely, knowing that his plan had been exposed.

"I'll let you go, but don't get into any trouble or use that leg of yours, okay?"

Marshall wasn't paying attention to Ryder, he was looking away from him, silently mouthing "bla bla bla", bouncing his head from side to side and waiting for him to stop talking. Once Ryder was finished, Marshall pretended not to notice that Ryder was talking.

"...Oh, sorry Ryder, did you say something?"

Ryder just rolled his eyes at his fire pup.

"Oh, don't pretend that you didn't hear what I said, Marshall. Why else would you mock me?" Ryder smiled as he knew he caught Marshall red-handed. But Marshall closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, tilting his chin up as if denouncing that he even had a plan.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Okay, whatever you say, Marshall. But for escaping, I may have to withhold your extra slice of Zuma's peanut butter pie..."

Marshall's eyes went wide at the sound of losing the piece of pie that he won after Rocky's bet. Ryder just laughed to himself. _'Who's the troll now?'_

"No no, Ryder! I-I'll come back right now! I promise! Just...don't take my pie..please?" The Dalmatian was ready to cry, and Ryder decided to end his cruel game after seeing that he had had enough.

"Heheh! Oh, Marshall! I was only kidding. I was playing along! Don't worry, your pie is safe!" Marshall's watery blue eyes suddenly brightened.

"Oh, thank you, Ryder! Phew, for a second, I thought you were being serious!" Marshall laughed as he wiped his eyes.

"Don't worry about it, Marshall. Enjoy your drive, and when you get back, I'll have your peanut butter pie ready and waiting. Sound good?"

"Thanks, Ryder. You're the best!" With a big smile, Marshall ended the call, and returned his attention to the road. He happily drove through the street, thinking that the trip around town would be a peaceful and refreshing one. But fate, unfortunately, had a different plan for the Dalmatian.

* * *

*sigh* "Well, time to go to work." Chase grumbled to himself as he hopped into his police cruiser. It was that magical time of day again-a little something called rush hour. On any other day, he would've been happy to help direct traffic at City Hall. To be honest, though, Chase wasn't really in the mood to do much of anything, much less spend an hour or more waving his paw or shouting into his megaphone. But if there was one good thing that came out of the mindless work, it was that Chase had plenty of time to think.

 _'He deserved it, he deserved every speck of blood dripped from his ear, every bit of pain from his leg...heh, I can't even believe that I used to call him a friend.'_ Chase laughed as he thought of the Dalmatian, and all of the torment that he subjected Chase to. But when he laughed, he felt a sharp pain erupt from his chest and into his throat. Chase heaved, and ran over to the side of the street by a strip of grass. He bent over, and expelled a mixture of blood and spit. It was a painful reminder of the pup that willingly defended Marshall from his own assaults. When Rocky retaliated, Chase was immensely surprised by how strong he was. The gray pup clearly would go to the ends of the Earth to make sure that Marshall was safe. Feeling angry and lightheaded, he returned to his police cruiser, and instead directed traffic while sitting comfortably.

* * *

"Gosh, I nearly forgot what the city looks like!" Marshall said to himself as he drove through the heart of Adventure Bay. Traveling down Main Street, he passed all of his favorite places: Katie's Vet and Grooming, Alex's School, and Mr. Porter's Grocery Store, among others. Marshall could almost smell the meatballs cooking in the warm afternoon breeze. *sigh* "There's not many things that could ruin _this_ day." As he approached City Hall, he prepared to turn off of Main Street and visit the city limits, where Farmer Al and Farmer Yumi lived. So he changed lanes, and came up to the intersection where he needed to turn. But at that intersection, Marshall saw the _one_ thing that could ruin his day.

 _'Maybe he's not mad right now,'_ Marshall hoped. _'Maybe he's distracted by all of the traffic.'_ Gulping loudly, Marshall threw his signal on, and waited for Chase to wave him across.

For some odd reason, Chase waited to give him the 'okay', and allowed several cars to pack to the sides of and behind Marshall''s firetruck, boxing him in. _'He's trying to trap me!'_

Chase then proceeded to wave through one car at a time, starting with those across from Marshall, and moving clockwise around the intersection. Marshall was set to turn left, and after about a minute, Chase gave him a thumbs up, saying it's safe to turn. Feeling a moment of relief, Marshall accelerated and started his turn. _'Heheh, guess I was just overreacting!'_ But no sooner did he start did Chase quickly motion for the cross traffic to go as well. Marshall saw the single car start to cross his path, and tried to swing his turn wide to avoid hitting it. But the driver was preoccupied, and never even saw Marshall.

*SWERVE*

"LOOK OUT!"

*CRASH!*

Had Marshall neglected his seat belt, he would have been thrown from his firetruck and onto the hard asphalt, surely killing him. But thanks to his truck's built-in automatic seat belt that Ryder implemented into all of their vehicles, Marshall was held fast in his firetruck as he was sent spinning wildly off to the side. From the immense force of the collision, Marshall's head was flung into the steering wheel, and activated the airbag, forcing his head back against his seat. From being violently jolted back and forth, the Dalmatian was barely conscious, and he felt a warm liquid trickling down his jawline. After the several seconds of insurmountable pain and spinning, a second impact was felt, though not nearly as strong as the first. It was enough to bring his firetruck to a stop, and Marshall slowly opened his eyes. His truck was smoking, and his head was incredibly stricken with pain. He attempted to assess his injuries, but he felt himself beginning to nod off. Knowing what would happen if he allowed himself to close his eyes, he struck himself in the head, and yipped as the blood spattered his dashboard and steering wheel. _'Shit!'_ He bit down on his tongue so hard that a squish was heard, and his mouth was immediately filled with liquid iron. After the throbs settled, Marshall could now think a little more clearly. _'Okay, I'm awake now.'_ He looked around at the scene, and was absolutely appalled at what he was seeing.

Still sitting in his police cruiser as if nothing happened, Chase continued directing traffic around the accident, completely ignoring Marshall. And, what's more, after clearing the intersection, he jumped out and ran over to check on the idiot driver who wasn't paying attention! Feeling what blood was still in him boil, Marshall quickly threw his firetruck into gear, and slammed on the gas. Now it was Marshall's turn to cause an 'accident'.

He sped forward across the road, and with his eyes set dead on Chase's police cruiser. Once he saw how fast he was going, Marshall smiled as he applied the brake and began drifting parallel to it. He slammed into the side of Chase's cruiser, pushing it into a nearby building. The sheer weight of Marshall's firetruck overpowered the smaller vehicle, and was partially crumpled like a tin can. He continued to push it into the building, never letting his paw off of the accelerator. Eventually, he crushed one of Chase's sirens and an entire row of lights. Satisfied with the damage, his focus now shifted to getting back to the Lookout. He whipped around, and flicked on all of the lights and sirens that were still functional. The people on the road finally began to realize the imminent danger, and cleared a path down the median for Marshall to drive through.

After driving for several minutes, Marshall began to realize just how badly he was injured. Blood was dripping into his eye from his head, his injured leg was completely numb, and his chest ached from repetitive jarring. To make matters worse, the smoke pouring from Marshall's firetruck only served to aggravate them. The smoke was rich in carbon monoxide, and quickly made the Dalmatian's race against the clock a little more desperate. He coughed and coughed as he tried to let the wind take the smoke from his face, but it instead blew it directly into his nostrils. He felt the smoke burn his lungs as it sapped the oxygen from his body. But he was close to the Lookout now. _'COME ON, MARSHALL! JUST A LITTLE FARTHER! DON'T FALL ASLEEP...DON'T FALL ASLEEP...'_ Feeling himself ready to slip into unconsciousness, he wrapped his paw around the emergency brake, so if he slipped under, he would still pull it.

The Lookout was in sight now, and all he had to do was get up the Lookout driveway. But any small task in the moment was instantly multiplied by a million. Resting his head on the steering wheel, Marshall's breathing slowed, and he was horribly dizzy. He could no longer see he was in so much pain, and so instead, he listened or familiar sounds that could tell him when he was close. And it didn't take long for something to happen.

"Marshall, slow down! Marshall, stop! MARSHALL!"

Knowing the end was soon, he subconsciously let his paw fall, pulling the brake down with it. His firetruck came flying over the hill, and across the yard.

"Marshall, you're gonna crash!"

Rocky jumped out of the way as he was nearly hit by the fire pup. Landing safely in the grass, he could only watch as Marshall's truck careened toward the Lookout, slowing little by little. It would be close, and Rocky couldn't bear to look. He covered his eyes with his paws, burying his face against the ground and listening for the inevitable crash.

But it never came.

The gray pup opened his eyes to see Marshall and his firetruck stopped mere inches from the doors of the Lookout.

As Rocky ran over to him, Marshall's world was slowly growing dim. He could hear a voice in the distance shouting, but he couldn't quite make it out. Marshall's will finally gave out, and he allowed his eyelids to sink. But suddenly, the voice was closer, and he could hear it.

"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" Tear poured down the mix's face as he jumped up next to Marshall, cradling his head.

Marshall recognized this voice, and his touch was so...gentle. He weakly opened his eyes, and was met with the most caring face that he had ever seen.

Now seeing his eyes open, Rocky quickly moved closer to Marshall, and spoke with deadly intensity.

"Who did this to you?"

Rocky could see his brother forming a word on his lips, but he never got the word out. His eyes began to close again, eliciting a scream from Rocky.

"MARSHALL!"

And then, darkness.

* * *

 **Wow! That was intense! Rocky is flipping out when he sees Marshall, and it just goes to show how incredibly strong their bond is :-D I felt really good after finishing the chapter, but how do you guys think I did? Did the events leading up to the accident make sense? Did the accident make sense? What did you think of Marshall's drive back to the Lookout? Leave any comments in a review or pm as usual. My schedule seems to work well with an update every two days, so I think I'm gonna roll with that. That means the next chapter'll be out on Friday if no supernatural abnormalities tear my schedule to pieces like they have been the past few days XD That's all I got, so I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I know I had a blast writing it. Seeya! :-)**


	15. Wounds

**Just wanted to start off by saying that I fully intended to get this chapter out yesterday, but several things made that nearly impossible for me unfortunately. But hey, it's here now, so no worries! This chapter is pretty long, and it would've been even longer if I didn't stop myself :-P So please enjoy every word of it, all 3,162 words of 'em!**

* * *

Rocky just sat there in Marshall's firetruck, holding Marshall's head, and unsure of what to do. Panicking, he called for help.

*blip blip* "SKYE! SKYE, IT'S MARSHALL! HE'S HURT REALLY BAD! I NEED HELP!"

Skye received the call from the distressed mix, and was thankfully just upstairs in the Lookout. Ryder and Rubble were out still clearing debris from the thunderstorm the week before, and Zuma was down on the beach catching some waves. Skye immediately jumped in the elevator, but when it reached the ground floor, she froze.

There in front of the Lookout was Marshall's firetruck. It was smoking significantly and it was badly damaged. Holding back the tears, she let the doors open in front of her, and looked up into his firetruck. There, she saw a near-broken Rocky, on his knees next to his brother. Tears matted his fuzzy face as he kept his ear firmly planted on Marshall's chest, listening for any change in his heart's rhythm. The poor gray pup was devastated at the sight of Marshall so severely injured, but Skye was just as pained as he was.

The Cockapoo greeted Rocky with a sniffle, and a sad hiccup. He perked his other ear up, and quickly lifted his head to see her. He looked at her sadly, and looked absolutely lost.

*sniff* "I-I don't know what happened. I-he-came up the hill...He didn't stop...His truck was smoking, and..." Rocky choked on the lump in his throat. He reached over next to Marshall, and produced a bloody medic cap. Holding the brim between his teeth, he looked down at Skye from his seat in the firetruck, and a single tear fell from his eye. When she saw it, Skye couldn't hold herself together. Rocky checked Marshall's heart again, and deemed it was safe to leave his side for a moment. He hopped down, and handed Marshall's cap to her.

"I thought you...might need this more than I do." He paused. "...It should...probably be cleaned." Trying to be strong, he wiped his tears and his runny nose, and returned to the spot next to his brother. Skye cradled the cap in her paws as if it were Marshall himself. With a whine and another hiccup, she went back into the Lookout to remove the blood from it.

"Well, Marshall, it won't do you much good if you're still in your truck. I should probably get you somewhere better." Rocky explained to the near motionless pup beside him. The only indication that the Dalmatian was even still alive was the almost unnoticable rise and fall of his chest. "Heh, I don't know why I'm even talking to you, buddy. I guess it's just to convince me that you're still-." Rocky looked away from Marshall at even the slighest thought that death was a real possibility for him.

Condensing his fear and sadness into one gulp, Rocky quickly identified the areas where Marshall was injured the most, and attempted to avoid those as he wedged himself underneath him. With a heave, he was able to stand up with Marshall resting on his back. But as he began lowering himself and Marshall down to the ground, Rocky realized that Marshall's firetruck was still running. And somehow, he completely neglected the fact that Marshall's siren had been blazing in the background the entire time. Knowing that he probably couldn't bring Marshall back up into the truck, and that he couldn't just dangle Marshall to the ground, he called for Skye to help.

"Hey Skye!"

The Cockapoo was leaning over the kitchen sink, soaking Marshall's cap in laundry detergent and warm water when she was interrupted. Without hesitation, she pulled his cap out of the sudsy water and set it on a nearby towel. Skye hurried out to see what Rocky needed.

"Marshall left his truck on, and I'm lowering him down to the ground. Could you turn it off?"

With a silent nod, Skye hopped up into the truck. She was about to reach for the ignition button, but something else caught her attention.

Literally covering the dashboard of his firetruck, was a spattering of the Dalmatian's blood. There were also several cracks on his windshield, which were stained by a crimson red. And on the steering wheel, an imprint of his head could be seen in the copious amount of the same substance. Knowing where it all came from, Skye completely lost it. She placed her head on the ignition button, turning off the engine, and just let it sit there as she unleashed a flood of tears.

After finally reaching the ground, Rocky eased his brother off of his back and onto the soft grass. Turning to hear Skye crying, she looked up to meet his gaze. On her face was a matting of dried blood; her tears wet the blood , causing red streaks to run down her face. Rocky gestured for her to come down, and began to lick her face clean of Marshall's blood. He tried with all of his will not to repulse at what he was doing, because he knew that this meant more to Skye than his own feelings.

After several minutes, Skye's face was completely cleansed of blood. After the act was done, both pups turned to look at Marshall, who too was covered in dry and fresh blood. Skye looked at Rocky; she knew what he was going to do.

"Rocky, you don't have to..."

"I want to. I-I need to." Eyes fixed on the bloody Dalmatian, Rocky knelt down at his side.

And then, he began to lick.

With every pass that his tongue made, Rocky cried a little bit more. Each time, he tasted all of Marshall's pain, all of his sadness, and all of the anger that he felt. There was an underlying tone to it...he tasted...wait!

Rocky's head snapped up in realization. He took one more lick of the blood crusted on Marshall's fur, and immediately let out a deep growl. The ferocity of it made Skye's fur stand on end.

"Rocky, what's wrong?"

He walked over to Marshall's firetruck, and began surveying the damage dealt to it. And soon enough, a similar growl came from around the left side of it. Skye walked around back, and saw Rocky with his nose pressed up against a particular set of scratches. Upon looking closer, the answer was obvious. Rocky chuckled at the discovery, but his laugh progressively grew into hysterics, shaking his whole body.

*blip blip* "Ryder, it's Rocky...Chase did it again..."

* * *

"Come on, start already!" Chase cursed at his wrecked police cruiser. Marshall had done quite a number to it when he struck it with his firetruck. _'I'm just glad I wasn't in it,'_ he thought to himself. Seeing the pain and ferocity in Marshall's eyes as he took off was a new side of the Dalmatian that was not shown very often. And the fact that he only acted this way towards Chase let him know that Marshall was growing stronger and closer to Skye and Rocky. To Chase, it all seemed unfair. "Why are they _all_ against me? I only attacked Marshall; I never got to Skye, and Rocky always had the jump on me. It seems like Rocky's the one who hates me the most, but I never really hurt him, so why is he so aggressive towards me?"

The Shepherd pondered this idea for a minute before giving his cruiser another start. And just as he expected, it didn't. "Why does my life have to be such shit?!" He pounded his paw on his dashboard in frustration. But the instant he did, his collar blipped.

"Chase, it's Ryder. You need to get to the hospital _right now_." There was a deadly edge to his demand, and Chase took a wild guess why. "And I know that you understand what has happened, so I expect to see you there as soon as possible. When you get there, there _will_ be a talk." And as quickly as Ryder had called him, he ended the call. Chase had no idea what to expect when he got there, but he knew that he had to go, and now! Slamming his paw on the ignition button, he finally got his police cruiser to start. Uttering a groan at its coincedental cooperation, he sped off towards the hospital to face his consequence.

* * *

When Marshall arrived at the hospital, he was awoken by something warm near his face. Slowly opening his eyes, his entire field of vision was filled with a concerned Rocky looking over him. The gray pup gently nuzzled his brother as he came to. Marshall returned the affection, but he noticed a change in Rocky's expression.

When Rocky backed away to let Skye greet him, Marshall took a good look at him. It was obvious that he had been crying, and his eyes were bloodshot. But what struck Marshall the most was how angry he looked. This was anything but typical for Rocky. But the gray pup had every reason to be mad; Chase had come at Marshall yet again, and this time, he dealt a significant blow. And to Rocky, every blow to Marshall was a blow to himself.

Ryder had said that he told Chase to be here very soon, but Rocky didn't hold out any hope that he would show his face after what he's done. Frankly, the only reason Rocky would _want_ him there is to see him justly punished by the hand of Ryder. But supposedly, Chase and Marshall were supposed to have a talk discussing the events over the past few weeks, and if that happened, Rocky wanted to be right there next to Marshall.

But half an hour passed since Ryder had given the call, and no Chase. Ryder was getting frustrated.

"Rocky, Marshall, Skye, I'm going to call him again to see what's keeping him so long." As he pulled out his pup pad, Rocky quickly tried to cover for Marshall.

"Ryder, you don't need to call him again. He's probably still caught up in traffic; that's why he's taking so long." Ryder gave the mix an odd look, before shrugging his shoulders and putting his pup pad away. He came and sat over by Rocky, Skye, and Marshall, and was about to say something. But instead, he clenched his jaw and shook his head.

Rocky looked at him, and noticed that he was stressed. Deciding that he needed a furry friend, Rocky took it upon himself to crawl onto Ryder's lap and rub his face on Ryder's. This tickled Ryder and got him to laugh a bit. Rocky's whiskers brushed across Ryder's cheek and his nose, and caused enough sensation to make him sneeze. Rocky laughed really hard after causing the sneeze, and Ryder too cracked a smile. He lifted Rocky up and set him on his crossed legs. His face was a bit more serious now, and Rocky's smirk disappeared.

Ryder looked at his pups incredulously, and then spoke his mind.

"Pups, I just don't understand why Chase hasn't ended these...assaults." The question hung in the air, unanswered. No one felt comfortable discussing the topic with Chase's arrival expected any moment now. Looking at Marshall, and ruffling the Dalmatian's headfur, he sighed.

"Well, I hope something is accomplished in the talk then." He shook his head and stood up, exiting the room for a minute.

Knowing that Chase must be at the hospital, Skye kissed Marshall and hugged Rocky before hopping down. "I'm the problem, and I know I won't be doing anyone any good by staying in here. If Chase sees me anywhere near Marshall, who knows what'll happen." Knowing that she was right, the two said goodbye and she wished them well. Skye then left the room.

Marshall and Rocky had time to share one more look, silently wishing each other the best for the imminent confrontation. And no sooner had they done that, a knock was heard on the frame of the door. Marshall held his breath as he watched Ryder walk in. Behind him, the German Shepherd followed rather nonchalantly, and took a seat across the room from Marshall's bed. Everyone present sat in silence for a solid minute, quietly deciding what needed to be said or asked. Ryder was the first to break the silence.

"So Chase, why did it take you so long to get here?" Marshall winced at the question, but Rocky discreetly put a paw on his shoulder, reassuring him.

Chase smirked a bit, and looked directly at Marshall before answering.

"Well, sir, I was hit by Ma-" Before Chase could so much as utter Marshall's name, Rocky obliterated his composure with a steely look of pure lethality. After causing Chase to nearly whimper and wet his fur, Rocky raised his eyebrows quickly with a smirk of his own, and let Chase try to recover with an excuse.

"-Massive traffic, sir. Apparently, rush hour today was more like rush 'hours'." Smiling weakly at his little joke, he looked at Ryder to see if he would buy the excuse. But Ryder looked unconvinced.

"Right then...That's all I wanted to know, so I'll leave you pups to talk now." Ryder stood up and left without another word, closing the door behind him. This left Chase, Rocky, and Marshall alone to talk. After losing his confidence to Rocky's "look of death", Chase was as quiet as a mouse. This left Marshall to get the ball rolling.

"Chase, nothing between me and Skye has changed since last time...So why do you keep coming after me? I, I know that you're upset with how things worked out with her, but I cam't make up her mind for her. Skye is as stubborn as ever, and she decided that she wanted me. For everything that she has done for me, I couldn't say no. And Chase, those things that she's done, those are what drove my feelings for her. There was never any intent from me to hurt you...but I can't speak for Skye..." Marshall concluded his explanation, but the room remained silent. As soon as her name was mentioned, though, Chase's anger was rekindled.

Fire burned from his eyes as he took his turn to speak.

"Ha! Do you really believe that your and Skye's relationship started from her helping you and comforting you? Well, Marshall, I'm sorry to say this..." Chase wore a nasty grin on his face as he finished the statement. "...but she played you like a fiddle! Skye never meant any of those nice things; they were all intended to win you over. She manipulated you, and now, I understand why the other pups call you a clown. It's because you're ignorant, stupid, and apparently, way too trusting!" With every insult that Chase piled on, Marshall was driven closer and closer to tears. Seeing Marshall's reaction, Chase continued with a hardy laugh.

"Oh, wait! You still care about her? Well, maybe this'll change your mind!" Chase happily walked over to Marshall, and whispered something in his ear.

 _"If you ever plan on hitting a home run with her, let's just say that someone's already walked the basepath...and you're looking at him!"_

Marshall's misty blue eyes instantly went dim as he processed the analogy. He froze for a second, and then let his body go limp. His face landed on his pillow, and then, Marshall began to weep bitterly. Rocky finally hit his boiling point with the Shepherd. He leaped off of Marshall's bed with incredible force, knocking Chase clean to the ground. Rocky spat as he violently interrogated him.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM!?" Chase looked shocked, but instead, began to laugh. Rocky grabbed his head by his jaw, and smashed it onto the tile floor. A sharp crack was heard, and blood began to drip from the corner of Chase's mouth. But still, he laughed. Rocky bashed his head against the floor again and again, asking the same question.

"IS THIS FUNNY TO YOU!? ANSWER ME, DAMN IT! WHAT DID YOU SAY TO MARSHALL!?"

But Chase laughed demonically, as if "Chase" wasn't there. He seemed to feel no pain, which greatly disturbed the mix. Seeing that violence wasn't working, he instead dropped Chase's head to the floor, not bothering to care about his injuries in the slightest. He quickly jumped back up to Marshall, who was practically in hysterics. The poor Dalmatian was completely devastated, and Rocky first tried to comfort him before questioning him.

 _'_ _What could he have said that hurt Marshall so badly?'_ Rocky asked himself as he gently rubbed Marshall's back, resting his head on Marshall's. After spending about a minute like this, Marshall's crying began to diminish a bit. The sad spotted pup lifted his head to look at his brother. Rocky gasped when he saw Marshall's face; his eyes were a void, and there was nothing left of them. The bright blue they had once been had been siphoned away by the life-shattering words that were forced upon him. With a heavy sigh, Marshall shared what Chase had told him. He quivered in fear and disbelief at every word.

"Rocky...Chase took Skye's innocence. He...he hurt her in the worst way imaginable..." Marshall felt sick to his stomach, and Rocky helped him as the Dalmatian heaved. Expelled along with the contents of Marshall's stomach was all of his sadness, pain, disbelief, and confusion.

After helping his brother calm down, Rocky went out of the room to get Ryder. On the way, Rocky briefed Ryder on what went down, but left out the information that Chase had told Marshall; he knew that it wouold be best if Marshall himself told Ryder. When the door was opened, a sniffling Dalmatian and a still Shepherd greeted them. Ryder had a doctor take Chase to get an x-ray of his jaw and his skull, and he then carefully sat next to the fragile firepup. Once he saw that Ryder was situated with Marshall, Rocky quietly excused himself to go outside.

As soon as the doors opened, letting him out, Rocky bolted behind the nearest tree and threw up violently. He cried as he did so, thinking that peace for himself and Marshall was completely unattainable.

' _Will things ever be the same?'_

* * *

 **Wow! That didn't accomplish as much as Ryder had hoped! All it really did was crush Marshall, enrage Rocky, and hurt Chase yet again. Will things ever be the same? I don't know, Rocky; you'll have to wait until next chapter to read on!**

 **Also I wanna give another big shout out to xKovu 01 for helping me with ideas and editing; you make this story possible, so thanks :-D**

 **On a side note, the schedule for the next chapter is kind of iffy. I'm currently ill, and I have no certain schedule for anything, so I don't know when I'll have time to write next. I will give a ballpark estimate of either Monday or Tuesday, but it still isn't certain. What is certain is that I LOVE writing these intense scenes!**

 **Please leave me feedback on how I did with this one: Was it graphic enough? Emotional enough? How did you feel when reading it? Any and all comments or opinions are welcome, except for comments asking me to "hurry up", or "when is the next update?", or anything involving a runaway for that matter. My friend xKovu 01 has made it clear that those comments are not appreciated, and they will not make me write any faster. I have also said several times that there are to be NO runaways; I know Chase feels unwanted, but he continues to aggrevate his own problem. He can't run away from himself, because he "is" the problem. If you have any personal comments such as those, a more appropriate way to send them to me is via pm. That way, I can address them individually.**

 **Oh, and I just wanted to say that I am in no way a Chase hater :-P Chase is actually tied for being my second favorite pup, the other being Rocky. The reason I portray him as being so hostile and unforgiving is because I love him as a character (if that makes sense) :-D And the same goes for Rocky's aggression! I love all of the pups, but I will say that Marshall's my favorite :-P Aside from my crazy tangent, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reading :-)**


	16. Reparation

**What's up guys! I'm back with another chapter! This one took a LOT of planning, and I gotta hand it to my friend xKovu 01, you have been a huge help with everything thus far :-D Thanks for all of your dedication to the story! I'm excited for this chapter, and it took longer than most, but nonetheless, please enjoy!**

* * *

The warm evening sun cast its golden rays over Adventure Bay. The sky was clear, with only a single cloud crawling across the skyline. It was so calm and peaceful, that you almost couldn't tell anything had happened that day. Almost.

About an hour after the ordeal had taken place, Chase's doctor walked into Marshall's room, with Chase in his arms. The Shepherd held his head down, not wanting to meet eyes with Ryder or any of the pups. The doctor explained to them that Chase was not injured seriously, and suffered only a minor fracture to his jaw.

"He is fine to move around as he feels comfortable, but he should try and use his jaw as little as possible. It wasn't quite severe enough to require wiring his jaw in place, and so extra care should be taken to keep it still. I've prescribed him some strong pain medication to take the edge off, but he should only take it as needed. Aside from that, just ice it and give it lots of rest." Ryder thanked him, and the doctor gently set Chase down on the floor before he left. When the door closed, Ryder turned and spoke sternly to all of his pups.

"Pups, we can talk about what happened later. Right now, let's get everyone home." Ryder walked over to Marshall, still laying on his bed, and ruffled his head. "Stay strong, Marshall. I'll be back to check on you in the morning." The Dalmatian licked Ryder's face, and reassured him that he would be just fine.

"No need to worry, Ryder! I've got me, myself, and Mr. Teddy." He turned to his favorite teddy bear, and nuzzled it lovingly. Ryder chuckled, and motioned for the rest of the pups to follow him out to the exit.

Once outside, Rocky and Skye got into their vehicles, and Ryder hopped on his ATV. Chase climbed into his still-crippled police cruiser and said a silent prayer before pressing the ignition button. But much to his dismay, it didn't start. He tried again and again, but the engine continued to choke and shudder. By this time, Ryder and the other pups were already starting to leave. Crying out in frustration, he tried one last time to turn it over, but it just wouldn't start. Chase slammed his paw on his dashboard, cursing after nearly six failed attempts to get his cruiser going. Rocky rolled by in his recycling truck, and smirked at the Shepherd's misfortune.

"Having problems?" the mix taunted as he continued driving away. Before Chase could say anything, Rocky was gone. That only left him and Skye, who was beginning to lift off already. He jumped out and waved his paws, trying to get her attention. When she saw his plea for help, she groaned, knowing that she was his only ride back to the Lookout. She cut the engine, and eased her helicopter back to the ground. Chase leaped in without hesitation, and Skye recoiled at how close she was to him. Chase's heart was thumping as he realized the same thing. _'Oh, I got Marshall so good...he thinks that I actually got it in! And now, she's all mine.'_

Just as she went to start the copter again, she felt his body lean against her gently.

"Thanks for caring about me, Skye." Chase went to lick her nose, just like she always used to love. But instead, his face was met with nothing but pain.

Skye brought her paw violently across the Shepherd's face, making him wince and whimper.

"Oh, so you're _still_ trying to win me over...Yeah, that's not gonna work. I am-oh, what's the word?...Oh yeah! Taken!" She threw on a smile and giggled in her cute little way, just like Chase used to love. "Sooorrrryyy!" She shrugged her shoulders, and turned her full attention to flying her helicopter. Chase was absolutely stunned at her display of rejection. He felt so...well, rejected. He knew in that moment, that there was no way of convincing her otherwise. And so, he sat silently as Skye flew them back to the Lookout. Not another word was said for the remainder of the trip.

* * *

When Chase and Skye arrived at the Lookout, Rubble and Zuma were with Ryder and Rocky, and the pups were casually talking. But once Chase entered the room, all eyes turned to him. Feeling hurt enough, he simply walked over to Ryder, and sat in front of him. He looked up at Ryder, and waited for him to say something. Rocky, Skye, and the others quickly lost interest in waiting, and turned to walk away. When Ryder started talking though, everyone just as quickly reengaged.

"Chase, I'm sure you're aware of what you've done in these past weeks..." Ryder allowed Chase room to respond, and the Shepherd dropped his head and gave a weak nod.

"Then it goes without say that a punishment is required. Starting tomorrow, you are excused from your PAW Patrol duties for one week, and during that time, you are not to participate in missions or rescues of any kind." As soon as he finished the sentence, two resounding "What?!"s were heard in the room. One from Chase, and one from Rocky.

"Ryder, sir, please don't take away my police duties." Chase's voice cracked as he began to tear up. Rocky gave a bold laugh, and turned to look at Chase.

"Oh, on the contrary! You deserve to feel _every_ bit as much pain as you've caused! Do you have any idea what that adds up to? I'll tell you what, it's a lot more than a week off duty!" Rocky turned to Ryder with a look of pure disgust on his face.

"Ryder, is that _all_ you're going to give him? Really? After everything that he's done...and you give him one week of no rescues..." Rocky paused to shake his head in astonishment at how unwilling Ryder was to comply. "You know what?" Rocky ripped off his collar, pup tag still dangling, and waved it in front of Ryder. "How much does this mean to you? How badly do you want me on the PAW Patrol?" Ryder was shocked, and had absolutely no idea how to react. "You giving him such a light punishment is like you telling him to go out and do it all again. Tell me _right now_ , that you will make his punishment more significant..." He paused to wave his puptag once more to amplify his statement. "...Or you can say goodbye to your recycling pup."

Everyone's jaws fell open at Rocky's apparent threat to their owner. Again, Ryder was floored. He had never heard Rocky, or any of his pups, talk to him like that before. And there was no denying that Rocky meant every word of it. Ryder took a breath, and tried to defuse the situation.

"Rocky, everyone has been through a lot these past couple of days, and I think it would be best if we-" Rocky abruptly cut him off.

"Oh, don't give me that garbage! Here, if you won't come up with a better punishment, how about this?! Chase is suspended from his duties until one week after he has completely healed, and because he's irrational and dangerous, he has to stay in his puphouse every evening. Realistically, there is NO punishment that is just enough to rectify what you've done, but it's a good place to start. What do you have to say to that, Ryder?" Rocky proposed the new idea, looking to Ryder for approval, but moreso demanding it than asking for it. Ryder sighed, and shook his head in frustration.

"Okay Rocky, you've made your point. For now, I will adopt your proposal." At that moment, Chase looked like he had been shot.

"What the hell, Rocky? You're worse than I am! Arrrghhh!" Chase stormed out of the Lookout, and went in the backyard to be by himself.

There was an incredible tension in the air, and someone had to do something about it.

"Hey, pups, it's still light outside, and the water's nice and warm. Wanna head down to the beach to relax a little?" Of course, Zuma jumped at the idea of water, and naive little Rubble just wanted to build sand castles with his shovel. Skye quietly spoke up, expressing her feelings.

"I need to go to my puphouse, to...think." Ryder couldn't blame her, and silently nodded her away. That left only a pissed-off Rocky.

"I think you know the right answer," he said matter-of-factly, walking away to go do nothing in particular.

Ryder sighed and looked down at Rubble and Zuma, who looked a bit sad, but happy to hit the beach. He smiled at his pups, and led them out to their vehicles. They all hopped in, and drove off to the beach.

* * *

Chase sat in his puphouse, crying to himself. He shed tears of anger, of disbelief, and of rejection. "What ever happened to the times when there was no hate, where there was no sadness, and there was love? Whatever happened to the times when life was simple, and you weren't despised by every pup that you've ever called a friend? What happened, Chase? What happened?..." He paused for a moment, and realized that he was able to answer his own question. "Oh, I know what happened! Skye and her stupid obsession with that spotted idiot! That sorry excuse for a fire pup! That-" His thoughts quickly shifted to sadness as he listened to who he was talking about. "-That pup that...I used to call my best friend...What happened to you, Marshall? We were so close, but now we're further apart than I could ever imagine. Will things ever be the same?" Before Chase knew it, half an hour had passed, and the sun was slipping below the horizon.

"Maybe I should head inside. It's supposed to get cooler tonight, and Ryder did say that my punishment starts tomorrow." Chase was able to convince himself, and he made his way back towards the Lookout. He saw that most of the lights were out, and so he approached quietly.

"Are the pups asleep already? Why else would the lights be off?" Chase shrugged his shoulders, and silently walked through the glass doors. In the room, there was only a single light on, besides the red LED on the Lookout security camera. Ryder said that he had it installed just for protection, and to keep them all safe. Come to think of it, Chase couldn't remember a single time where Ryder has had to check the camera. But it was always on, and it was always watching. Nobody paid it much attention, though.

Chase continued into the dimly lit room, and could just make out the area where Ryder had set up a place to rest for Marshall. Ryder was resetting it for Chase, but he hadn't had time to do much. As Chase continued to find his bearings, he was struck by something, and was sent sprawling to the floor. The movement from whatever it was was enough to set off some motion lights, and Chase could now see his assailant.

Rocky had him by the collar, and his eyes were red with fury.

"You should've been punished so much worse than what you got! You should've been kicked off of the team!" Rocky shook Chase violently, and the Shepherd struggled to break free. "But that doesn't matter, because I'm about to give you the punishment that you really deserve. You didn't listen to me when we had our little moment at the hospital, back when you landed your own sorry ass on the surgery table because you couldn't hold yourself back and I had to keep you away from him!"

Rocky punched him incredibly hard, tearing his collar a bit and then making him roll several feet. Rocky walked over as Chase looked up at him painfully, and continued his onslaught.

"Do you remember what I told you that day? I told you to stay away from Marshall! I told you to stay away from my brother! And what did you do? You tried to kill him again!" Rocky swung his paw even harder and connected with Chase's jaw. He was launched against the wall by the force, and he immediately tasted blood. Rocky walked over to the Shepherd, who was sitting up now.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet! Oh no, this is only the beginning of what I have in store for you! Rocky grabbed Chase around the nape of his neck with his teeth. Still drooling blood from his mouth, Chase watched as the mix dragged him over towards the glass Elevator doors. Knowing just how strong those doors were, Chase now began to fear for his life. He whimpered as he pleaded for forgiveness.

"Rocky, no! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I promise!"

But Rocky just ignored him. He dropped Chase on the floor, and spat fur from his mouth, along with a little blood. "This is just to give you an idea of how much you have hurt me, and how much you've hurt Marshall, my FAMILY, though really, this doesn't even come close." Rocky picked Chase up by the collar, and violently swung the Shepherd facefirst into the Elevator Doors. The Shepherd cried out, and crumpled to the floor. But Rocky picked him up, and swung him two more times, each being more painful than the last. Blood streaked the glass, and his fur was now a muddy red. Chase rolled over, moaning in pain, and Rocky stopped him on his back. He put a paw to Chase's throat, and began pushing again.

"You really should consider yourself lucky, being let off the hook so many times. Maybe next time, you'll stop and think about what you've done before you think about coming at him. Who knows, maybe next time will be the last time." He increased the pressure, and Chase flailed in a similar way to back at the hospital. Rocky reached down and ripped Chase's collar off of his neck.

"You know, I used to respect you, Chase. I even looked up to you. But that has all changed now. I'm not the one you've hurt the most. That honor belongs to my brother. He was your best friend, and you two were so close. But then you've gone and destroyed any chance of him respecting you. What you have done to him cannot be undone. In fact, I'll bet that your dad is rolling over in his grave at everything that you have have done to this family! You have dishonored him greatly, and I'll bet that he would _cringe_ if he were alive to see you now. Your actions cannot be forgiven, and Marshall will be hurt for the rest of his life. The wound may heal, but there will ALWAYS be a scar. And let's not forget Skye, who has every right to feel what she wants, and to be with whoever she wants. You have NO right to make that choice for her. Marshall and Skye both sought comfort in each other after what YOU did to them, and your response to that is to go after them and attack the one pup who had done absolutely nothing to hurt you? In fact, Marshall even tried to help you, but you wouldn't have any part of it. And for me, I won't regret what I've done to you. You would have to be the stupidest pup alive to not realize that you cannot be repented for your actions."

"If I had to make myself clear...You will NOT lay a paw on my brother. If you're foolish enough to do so, I can assure you that you will not be given a second chance. You will die, and it will be slow...and painful." Chase frantically moves his head in any way that he can, signifying that he understood. Rocky got up and off of him, and Chase gasped loudly for air, coughing all the while.

"Good." And with that, Rocky exited the Lookout, pausing to look at the camera that hid in the corner of the room. "Let this stand to show you, Ryder, what Chase has done to hurt us. I need not say any more." Knowing that Ryder would eventually see the footage, he threw Chase's collar on the floor, and exited the Lookout, feeling very satisfied. Feeling a rush of protection for his brother after the ordeal, Rocky hopped in his truck to go see Marshall. But Skye heard his truck start up, and she stepped out of her puphouse to see what he was doing.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"I want to visit Marshall...I just gave Chase the punishment that he has long deserved."

Skye let the word sit in her head for a second. Punishment.

"Rocky, wait. I want to come with you, but there's something that I need to do." Rocky nodded, knowing just what she had in mind.

Skye entered the Lookout to see a bloody and mangled Chase up against the Elevator doors, struggling to stay conscious. Feeling no remorse, she calmly walked up to him, and began to speak.

"Let me ask you something, Chase. Does the word "relationship" mean anything to you?" She paused, knowing that she wouldn't get an answer. "I didn't think so. Well, let me speak from experience as someone who is able to "feel" and "love" and "care"...yeah, you've hurt me a lot. I don't know why you did it, because if your only reasoning was that me and Marshall fell together, then I have lost all respect for you. Oh, what's that? You were jealous? You wanted me back? You couldn't stand to see your girl with someone else? Well, I'll tell you, you selfish son of a bitch..." Skye raked her claws across his face, leaving three distinct marks that stretched from his eye to his jaw. "...you will let me make my own decisions." Skye backed away, and observed her and Rocky's punishments to the Shepherd. Deciding that it wasn't quite fair, Skye picked up his collar off of the floor and tossed it at him.

"Whoops! You dropped something! No, not your collar...Yeah, that's it! It was only the respect and integrity of everyone that ever cared about you! Oh, too bad!" Now it was fair.

Skye ambled out of the Lookout, sporting a huge smile on her face. She hopped up in Rocky's recycling truck, and happily gave the word.

"Let's go see Marshall." The two left in the darkness of night, where no one would know that they had gone to the hospital, including Ryder. They made their way along the quiet road, relishing the cool, moonlit breeze that greeted them. In that moment, one was completely broken, and struggling to find the pieces to his own puzzle, while the others were slowing finding pieces of each other, and building themselves up to be even stronger. But as soon as they reach a point of structure, they are knocked down from the bottom and forced to rebuild each other all over again.

Will things ever be the same?

* * *

 **Whoa! Watch out world! Skye is locked AND loaded :-D And boy, does Rocky has got a way with words or what? There was so many feels from both sides of the opposition, including some tender moments with Chase. Those are rare moments for the time, but will he change? And hopefully, the beatdown with Rocky and Chase was violent enough; Rocky threw weeks of pain and anger into that, so it was bound to be intense. Let me know what you guys thought of it, and hit me up with any questions or comments that you have. And I'm hesitant to throw down a date for the next chapter, because my schedule is about as certain as a circle is straight :-P I guess I'll just say, within a figure of a few days. But this chapter takes the prize for my longest chapter yet, so there's something :-P I wanna thank everyone for their (mostly :-P ) overwhelming support with the story; it means a lot to me that my words can reach so many people in so many different parts of the world. Shout out to my returning readers from the Phillipines, all three of you :-P You're all awesome people, and I appreciate every single reader, not just from the Phillipines :-P But enough sappy sappy from me :-D Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you all later! Thanks again! :-)**


	17. Company

**Hey, everyone! I'm back, and this time, with a chapter! I can't thank you all enough for the amazing support that you've given me! Seriously, I've gotten so many pm's** **with concerned and supportive messages :-D You guys are awesome, and I am so honored to be a part of such an amazing community! I know you've all been incredibly patient, and so I don't wanna keep you any longer XD So please, enjoy the chapter :-) I'll catch you all at the end!**

* * *

 _With Marshall in his room at the hospital..._

"Come on, play something good already," a frustrated Dalmatian searched on the radio that his doctor brought into his room about a half an hour ago. He kicked his sheets off in irritation at the apparent lack of decent music. " 'It'll help keep you occupied', he said. Well, unless turning a dial a million times is seen as fun, I think he was lying to me." Marshall smiled at his little joke, and continued to turn it in hopes of finding a song that he liked. But he wasn't getting any hits. So instead, he abandoned the dial and pressed the "seek" button. He held his breath as the radio searched for a station.

Eventually, the radio stopped on a station that was on intermission between songs. He decided to wait until they switched to a song, so in the meantime, he just listened to the man hosting the station.

 _"Alright, and this is the Z Morning Radio with our signature evening blend, coming at you with another hit track from the group, 'BoysLikeGirls'. Featuring Taylor Swift, here is 'Two Is Better Than One'."_

Marshall's eyes lit up as he heard what song was coming on next.

"Yes! I love this song!" It reminded him of one of the only things that had remained constant throughout the chaos of the past few weeks. And that one thing was his unending love for Skye.

As the guitar began playing its lovely tune, Marshall couldn't help but sing along. He bobbed his head to the beat, and closed his eyes as the words floated out of his mouth.

 _"I remember what you wore on the first day_

 _You came into my life and I thought hey_

 _You know, this could be something_

 _'Cause everything you do and words you say_

 _You know that it all takes my breath away_

 _And now I'm left with nothing"_

Marshall readied himself to shift octaves, as the higher part was up next. But he knew he could hit it; he had an astounding vocal range, and he knew this particular shift well. He scrunched his eyes shut, and began to move his head around more intensely as he expressed his undeniable love for Skye.

 _"So maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you_

 _And maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _But there's so much ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me coming undone_

 _And I'm thinking two, is better than one"_

* * *

As the Dalmatian continued to sing his little heart out, Rocky and Skye had nearly arrived at the hospital.

"You know, it just occured to me that Marshall might not even be awake when we get there," Rocky turned to look at the Cockapoo sitting next to him.

"I know, but it doesn't really matter if he is or not. I just want to be with him." Rocky gave her a nod of understanding as he turned the corner into the lot behind the hospital. Rocky and Skye hopped out, and together they made their way through the doors.

After they got inside, Rocky and Skye walked over to the reception desk. The receptionist looked down when she heard footsteps.

"Oh, hey Skye, hey Rocky. You guys here to see Marshall?"

"Uh huh," Rocky responded. "We know where his room is already."

The receptionist wasted no time waving them through. "Hope the poor guy's doing alright; well go ahead then, I'm not holding you back!" She smiled and then turned back to her computer. Rocky and Skye thanked her, and they made their way past the waiting area and to the intersection of hallways that Marshall was in. Rocky was about to turn and walk down the hallway, when Skye stopped him.

"Rocky, hold on a sec. Do you hear that?" Her head was cocked, and her ears perked up. Rocky paused, and perked his ears up too, listening intently. And sure enough, a muffled voice could be heard.

"Is that, Marshall?" Rocky asked her. She shrugged her shoulders and started down the hallway. Rocky quickly caught up to her, and they kept their ears perked as they got closer to his room. Much to their surprise, the voice grew increasingly louder. They could make out whole words now.

 _"I remember every look upon your face_

 _The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste_

 _You make it hard for breathin' "_

They quickened their pace, and when they reached Marshall's room, they were almost certain it was coming from behind his door. Rocky stood up on his hind legs and put his weight down on the handle. Skye inched the door open, just enough to allow Rocky to let go but have the door stay open. Skye stuck her muzzle into his room, and allowed one eye to follow. What she saw made her smile bigger than anything in her entire life.

Laying there on his back, eyes closed and tapping just about every good paw that he had, was a very happy Marshall. He was thumping one paw on his chest with the percussion, and flexing his hind paw on the off-beats. His head was bobbing all over the place, and he had a goofy grin on his face.

 _" 'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away-"_

Trying hard not to giggle, Skye crept up on the oblivious Dalmatian.

 _"I think of you and everything's okay-"_

Without a sound, she lept up onto his bed.

 _I'm finally now bel-"_ As soon as Marshall felt her jump up, he yelped and flailed his paws out, knocking the radio off of his bed and turning it off.

Skye quickly drew him into an embrace, hoping that he was okay. But much to her dismay, when Marshall opened his eyes and saw who it was, he began to cry. Skye pulled away from him, thinking that she had done something wrong.

"Marshall, what's wrong? Did I do something?" she asked him. Now standing after his little scare, he hung his head, and sat down.

"I'm so sorry..."

Skye reached over, and gently lifted his head back up. She looked straight into his eyes when she spoke.

"Marshall, what are you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong." Marshall let his head slide out of her paw, and dropped himself onto the bed.

"No, but...he did...He...he hurt you...I-I'm so sorry that he did that to you..." Marshall trailed off as he completely broke down. He buried his face into her chest, sobbing for her pain. Skye gently lifted his head once more, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Marshall, what are you talking about?" she asked. He looked at her with the saddest blue eyes she had ever seen.

*sniff* "It was Chase...He...He took your...your innocence. I'm so sorry..." Skye's face twisted with confusion at his explanation.

"Marshall, he-" But Marshall cut her off.

"-Our...we can never be close to each other in that way because of what he did to you...and I'm horribly sorry that we couldn't share that moment together. I-" This time, Skye tried to cut him off.

"Marshall, he never-"

"Skye, I-I wanted to be the one to share in that intimate moment...with you...but Chase has ruined that for us. Don't you understand, Skye? You and me won't ever be able to ma-"

"MARSHALL!" Skye shouted, making the broken Dalmatian shrink in fear. Seeing that he was still quite sensitive, she tenderly stroked his face with her paw, getting him to calm down.

"Marshall, he never did that with me...I would never let him do that. He was lying to you." Marshall's eyes, awash with tears, quickly ceased to show emotion. He took a painful moment, and attempted to process what he was just told. _"L-lie? Chase...wait-"_ Marshall's eyes, which were still misty with tears, were quickly submerged in a scorching torrent of anger.

"He...he lied to me? ...Oh, that son of a bi-" Skye grabbed his cheeks and plunged him into a passionate kiss. Marshall was taken aback, but quickly succumbed to her love. She held him there for what felt like an eternity. She broke the kiss, and she gently stroked his cheek.

"But I'm flattered that you love me so much."

Marshall's reaction was priceless.

"Wow...I forgot how good those felt..." The Dalmatian's cheeks glowed like hot coals as Skye teased him about his intimate confession. Poor Marshall was almost speechless.

There was no way that Skye couldn't laugh at her mate's situation.

"Heheheh, Oh Marshall. You get distracted so easily!" They both knew the overwhelming truth of her statement; it only takes food, a butterfly, or a kiss, to completely throw Marshall's brain for a loop.

Now it was his turn to laugh at his mate.

"Heheheh, what can I say? You're good at distracting me!" Hearing himself say the word, he quickly realized that he was missing something. "Oh, and speaking of distractions..." Marshall leaned over and picked up the fallen radio from the floor. He laid down on his side, facing Skye, and set the radio next to his pillow.

But that wasn't good enough for Skye. She curled up against Marshall, and pressed her paws on his chest like a cat, trying to find the perfect spot to lay her head. Marshall chuckled at her behavior as he moved the radio closer. He wrapped his paw around her and the radio, bringing them all closer together. She looked up at him, and he smiled warmly.

"Go ahead," he gestured towards the radio, and she licked his cheek before reaching over and pressing the "on" button. Much to Marshall's surprise, the song picked up exactly where it had left off.

 _'Weird,'_ he thought, _'It's almost like the radio paused itself...Maybe fate wanted it to wait until Skye was here with me...ahh, whatever!'_ Marshall stopped thinking so deeply, and just enjoyed the company of his mate. But Skye had different ideas of how to enjoy their time together.

Skye allowed the last word to finish before she joined the radio in song.

 _"-ieving..."_

When Skye started to sing, her voice was pure and angelic. It gave Marshall butterflies in his tummy as she hit the higher notes with such precision and grace.

 _"That maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you-"_

Marshall couldn't hold back the urge to sing with her. He opened his mouth, and his soul spilled out, joining hers in perfect harmony. All the while, Skye wore a big smile on her face as Marshall started moving his head all over the place and raising his eyebrows with his voice. His eyes were closed tightly with love and passion.

 _"And maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _There's so much ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me comin' undone_

 _And I'm thinkin' two, is better than one"_

Marshall dropped out, and Skye held the note for a few seconds longer. The Dalmatian was absolutely floored by the level of control she had over her voice. Marshall's jaw hung wide open as the note tapered off, and she smiled at him. He could swear that her smile was talking to him. _'Yeah, I just did that...Are you impressed?'_ It seemed to say. She obviously intended to show him up, and it worked. Clearly, he was impressed.

As the instrumental took over, Marshall and Skye showed each other small signs of affection, such as rubbing and nuzzling. But as the lyrics came back, Marshall gently turned Skye so she was looking into his eyes. He put his paws on top of hers as he sang the words to her.

(Just Marshall)

 _"I remember what you wore on the first day_

 _You came into my life, and I thought hey..."_

Marshall trailed off, and allowed Skye to join him with a smile. She accepted the offer with a smile of her own.

(Marshall and Skye)

 _"Maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you_

 _And maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _But there's so mucht ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me comin' undone-"_

(Just Marshall)

 _"And I'm thinkin' -"_

(Marshall and Skye)

 _"Oo-oo-ooh, I can't live without you_

 _'Cause, baby, two-o-o, is better than one_

 _There's so much ti-i-i-me_

 _To figure out the rest of my life_

 _But I'll figure it out with all that's said and done..."_

(Just Marshall)

 _"Two, is better than one..."_

(Just Skye)

 _"Two, is better than one..."_

As the song neared the end, Marshall licked the top of Skye's head.

"I love you, Skye."

She smiled, and nuzzled her head into his chest.

"I love you too, Marshall."

Marshall turned the radio off and set it to the side. Skye snuggled up close to him, and he stroked her head as she laid against him like he loved so much. He tightened his embrace with his other paw, keeping her safe from the entire world.

In fact, the two were so caught up in each other, that they completely forgot there was another pup in the room with them. So when Rocky spoke up, it startled them quite a bit.

"Aww, you guys are so cute together!" Rocky giggled at how Marshall was wrapped so protectively around her. "You two sing really well together!" And then, a lightbulb went off in Rocky's head. "Hey, the Adventure Bay Talent Show is coming up in a couple weeks!" Skye and Marshall looked at each other, and then back at Rocky, not understanding the direction he was going in.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot!" Skye face-pawed.

"Mmmmm, I wonder if Mr. Porter's gonna do his pie juggling act again. Last year, Zuma hogged all of the pie!" Marshall licked his lips as he thought about how delicious those pies looked. Rocky giggled at their oblivity.

"I mean that you and Skye would be a perfect act in the show!" Marshall's eyes told Rocky that he still didn't understand.

"Oh, Marshall, quit joking around! I know how well you and Skye sing together!" Rocky saw a flicker of realization in his brother's eyes.

"Oh yeah...I kind of forgot you were in here." Now, he knew where Rocky was going.

Rocky giggled at yet another display of "Typical Marshall". "So then you don't need me to tell you that you and Skye would be a perfect duet!" Rocky literally watched the color drain from Marshall's eyes upon hearing that statement.

"Sing? In front of everybody? No way! That's way too embarrassing."

"Oh, you said that last year, too, and you did great! And besides, Skye would be right there next to you." Rocky couldn't help but smile at Marshall's severe objection to being on stage and singing. Marshall looked at Skye, and she gave him a quick lick on the cheek before putting her paw on his back.

"I dunno...well..." Skye looked at Rocky for any persuasion to swing Marshall's thinking, but he came up empty. Skye, on the other hand, had a card that _she_ could play. She leaned over close to Marshall's ear.

 _"Maybe, because you've stated how much you love me, we could arrange a night and-"_ Rocky couldn't hear the rest of what she whispered, but his brother's incredibly expressive eyes made it easy to fill in the blank.

"Okay, I'll do it. But just for that."

In that moment, Rocky was proud of Marshall for two completely different reasons. And one of them wasn't for being brave.

Marshall flicked on the lamp that was next to his bed, and Rocky hit the light switch. He hopped up to join everyone on Marshall's bed, and Marshall leaned over to turn the radio off. Rocky moved onto the other side of Skye, so when he laid down, he was facing Marshall.

Skye, being incredibly content all huddled up with her favorite Dalmatian, was already almost asleep. She yawned cutely, and placed her muzzle on top of Marshall's head. Within seconds, she was snoring lightly. Rocky giggled at the fact that Skye was using Marshall as her pillow. He moved his head near Marshall's, and whispered quietly, so as not to let Skye hear him.

 _"Did she tell you what I think she told you?"_ Marshall smiled wryly when he heard the question.

 _"Yep. I'm all hers!"_

Rocky tried not to burst out laughing, but he contained himself.

 _"Uhh, do you even know how..."_

 _"It can't be that hard, right?"_

 _"I don't know, I've never done that before!"_

Marshall smirked.

 _"Well, I've done it to myself, so it can't be much different than that!"_

Rocky just about died when he heard what Marshall just told him.

 _"Whoa! Way too much information! Keep that to yourself! Eew!"_

Marshall giggled quietly at his brother's discomfort.

 _"Just between you and me, you have nooo idea what you're missing!"_

 _"Eeeuugh! Marshall, why do you have to be so yucky?"_

Marshall's expression looked genuine.

 _"Well, I'm not gonna lie to you; it's really great!"_

 _"Remind me why we're brothers again?"_

 _"Heheheh, so I can be funny, and gross, and you won't care at all!"_

Rocky rolled his eyes at the Dalmatian.

 _"Funny, that's not how I remember it...I think it had something to do with, protection? Caring about how I feel? Not being gross?"_

 _"Nope, you're definitely wrong there!"_

Rocky quietly reached over and whacked Marshall's ear playfully.

 _"Oww! What was that for?"_

Rocky giggled at his brother's pain.

 _"Oh, be quiet. You've earned it, with that dirty mouth of yours!"_

Rocky rolled over in triumph, terminating the battle of wills. Marshall chuckled quietly at his brother's actions.

 _"You'll never hit home base with that attitude!"_

* * *

 **Oh, Marshall! You've got such a dirty mouth :-P But hey, he hit a home run, so that's something to celebrate XD What'd you all think of the song? It's a song that I loved a while back, and I kind of threw on the back burner. But a friend brought it back to my attention, and it seemed to fit pretty well with Marshall and Skye's relationship :-) The radio host already said the name of it: "Two is Better Than One" by BoysLikeGirls; the first time I went through and wrote that scene, I had listened to the song once prior. But after each revision that I made, I went back and listened to the song while I read it. To me, their emotions are a lot more powerful if you listen to the song while you read it; so maybe if you didn't listen to the song before you read the chapter, go and give it a listen! I want a lot of feedback on what you thought of the song scene(s) and Marshall and Rocky's little conversation. With the conversation, I tried to push the "brotherly" idea, where they are so comfortable with each other, that they can say almost anything. And boy, did Marshall take that to the next level! But yeah, any and all feedback, comments, and questions are accepted, so don't be afraid to bombard me! I've had a lot of off time from writing, and I wanna know if I stayed sharp through that time. I really hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you guys next time :-D**


	18. Solidification

**What's up, everyone! Back with another chapter :-D This is rare, but I don't actually have a whole lot to say! Well, I guess that's good, because it means you can get straight to reading the chapter :-) Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ughhh...why _do I hurt so badly?"_ Chase slowly opened his eyes, and was immediately wracked with pain. So much, in fact, that for a moment, he had forgotten the beatdown that he had occured only a few hours ago. _"Ughhh...I must've fallen asleep. How badly am I hurt?"_

The Shepherd opened his eyes the rest of the way, and tried to lift his head to inspect his body. But when the blood rushed to his head, a searing pain tore across his face. He dropped his head to the floor once more, and instead lifted a paw to feel where he was hurt.

As Chase's paw brushed across his injured face, he distinctly felt three raised areas, all in a row next to each other. _"That must be from Skye..."_ He whimpered, and removed his paw from his face. It wasn't because his face was hurt; it was because his heart was hurt.

When Skye brought her three pointed claws across Chase's face, she didn't just intend to hurt him. In the same action, Skye had engraved every word that she had ever spoken to him...and she did it in such a way...that he would never forget them.

Chase shifted his paw around the rest of his body, feeling for any major injuries. His paw was moist with blood from where Skye had made her mark, and from the impact with the Elevator doors. As he gave himself a once-over, Chase discovered that his jaw was put out of socket by Rocky's punches and by being smashed into the glass. Chase's breathing was ragged, and he struggled to get air into his lungs. Blood still dripped from his mouth as he came to a consensus.

 _"These injuries are bad...I need to get help!"_ Chase attempted to howl for help, but the only sound that came out was that of a strangled cat. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as Chase's vision went blurry from the pain. In a few seconds, it had passed, and Chase attempted to get to his feet. His legs nearly buckled from stiffness and loss of blood, but he was able to get on all fours. Though he instantly regretted it.

 _"SHIT!"_ His mind screamed out in agony as he took a single step towards the Lookout exit. Chase's front legs gave out, and his face struck the hard floor. He choked out a silent shriek, his vision awash in a sea of red.

Chase just laid there, nearly unable to think, see, or move.

 _"Someone will find me...but I need to try...to get to Katie's Clinic..."_ Drawing as deep of a breath as his damaged throat would allow, he threw his paws to the floor, and began to drag himself towards the exit. With every effort, he was brought closer and closer to unconsciousness. Time was but a blur to the Shepherd.

With incredible strength, Chase managed to pull himself up to the clinic doors. He gave one final effort, and it was enough for the doors to sense his movement. As the glass doors slid open, there was only one thought in his mind...

 _"Why...me?..."_

And with that, Chase's eyes gently closed.

* * *

 _A short time later..._

Sunlight poured into Ryder's room as he sleepily opened his eyes. He stretched his arms out, and held them there for a few seconds before standing up. With a smile on his face, he made his way over to the window. He threw open its two halves, and let the cool morning breeze fill his room. But when he opened his eyes, something felt...off.

On any other morning, Ryder would see the pups' vehicles all along the half-round of the Lookout. But this morning...one of them was missing.

Ryder didn't think much of it, as Rocky would sometimes take morning drives around the bay to collect materials for his inventions. He casually grabbed his pup pad and swiped over to Rocky's badge, but when he tapped the screen to contact him, there was no response...not even static.

"That's odd," Ryder said out loud, "-maybe Skye knows why he isn't answering." He swiped to her badge and tapped it, but again, no response. This troubled Ryder a bit, and he began to worry. "Neither of them are responding...what could've happened?" He set his pup pad on his bed, and left his bedroom to investigate.

As Ryder walked around, an eerie silence occupied the Lookout.

"Something isn't right..." he continued his rhetoric statements, becoming more and more nervous. And as he rounded the corner to the main room, his intuition was confirmed.

In front of the Lookout Elevator, blood was spattered across the floor, and a small pool of congealed blood sat under a crack in the glass doors. The crimson liquid almost seemed to highlight the cracks, making them more pronounced. Ryder was absolutely speechless. He couldn't think. He couldn't speak. He could only look on in horror.

He ventured closer, and upon reaching the doors of the Elevator, Ryder noticed a disturbance in the blood pool. A set of marks trailed away from the doors. The marks were continuous, and formed a dismembered trail of red. Upon looking closer, he found a second set of marks that seemed to bear a resemblance to paw prints. Both of them led away from the Elevator.

Ryder tried hard to stay calm. "Okay, how can I find out what happened here? ...Wait, I could check the camera!" Ryder turned around and sprinted back to his room.

Once inside, he closed the door and grabbed his pup pad off of the bed. Ryder swiped over to the rarely-used "camera playback" app, and took a deep breath in preparation for whatever he was about to see. Summoning every ounce of courage in his body, he tapped the screen. But even all the preparation in the world couldn't ready him for what he was about to see.

The footage began with Chase walking into the Lookout, and then, out of the shadows, Rocky knocked him to the ground. Ryder was completely dumbfounded. As he continued to watch, Rocky shook Chase violently, and then proceeded to punch him across the face not once, but twice. He then paused, and grabbed Chase by the neck, hurling his face into the Elevator glass three times. Crumpled on the floor, Chase struggled weakly as Rocky put a paw to his throat. When he did that, he also ripped Chase's collar off. Chase shook his head furiously, and Rocky released the pressure from his throat. Walking away, Rocky turned to look directly at the camera, shaking Chase's collar before tossing it to the floor. He exited the frame, leaving a moaning, barely conscious Shepherd on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

Ryder paused the video, and struggled to take in a breath. His mind was racing. "There must be a reason for all of this," he spoke to himself. Pausing his thoughts as well, Ryder tapped the microphone icon next to the video, which allowed him to hear audio in tandem with the video, and rewound the video to the start. The footage instantly came alive with emotion.

 _"You should've been punished so much worse than what you got! You should've been kicked off of the team!"_

 _"...You didn't listen to me when we had our little moment at the hospital, back when you landed your own sorry ass on the surgery table because you couldn't hold yourself back and I had to keep you away from him!"_

 _"Do you remember what I told you that day? I told you to stay away from Marshall! I told you to stay away from my brother! And what did you do? You tried to kill him again!"_

 _"Rocky, no! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I promise!"_

 _*SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!*_

 _"...Maybe next time, you'll stop and think about what you've done before you think about coming at him. Who knows, maybe next time will be the last time."_

Ryder paused the video once more, a tear trickling down his face. "Why did this happen? ...My pups...they've changed...Why are they so violent? They have never been that way before..." Stifling a sniffle, Ryder continued watching.

 _"You know, I used to respect you, Chase. I even looked up to you. But that has all changed now. I'm not the one you've hurt the most. That honor belongs to my brother. He was your best friend, and you two were so close. But then you've gone and destroyed any chance of him respecting you. What you have done to him cannot be undone. In fact, I'll bet that your dad is rolling over in his grave at everything that you have have done to this family! You have dishonored him greatly, and I'll bet that he would cringe if he were alive to see you now. Your actions cannot be forgiven, and Marshall will be hurt for the rest of his life. The wound may heal, but there will ALWAYS be a scar. And let's not forget Skye, who has every right to feel what she wants, and to be with whoever she wants. You have NO right to make that choice for her. Marshall and Skye both sought comfort in each other after what YOU did to them, and your response to that is to go after them and attack the one pup who had done absolutely nothing to hurt you? In fact, Marshall even tried to help you, but you wouldn't have any part of it. And for me, I won't regret what I've done to you. You would have to be the stupidest pup alive to not realize that you cannot be repented for your actions."_

 _"...You will NOT lay a paw on my brother. If you're foolish enough to do so, I can assure you that you will not be given a second chance. You will die, and it will be slow...and painful."_

And that's when Rocky turned to look at Ryder.

 _"Let this stand to show you, Ryder, what Chase has done to hurt us. I need not say any more."_

Ryder gasped aloud when Rocky finished, and his mind froze. He turned away from his pup pad, and looked out the window to see the beautiful sun. To him, it felt like the sun was the only thing that hadn't changed in the past few weeks. He simply sat and watched the sun, and nothing more.

That is, until he heard a sound coming from his pup pad. It sounded like a vehicle starting. Ryder turned back to look at his pup pad, and found that there was still more footage. So he continued to let it play, and was shocked by what he saw next.

Skye entered the frame, and she approached Chase with a look of disdain.

 _"..._ _Does the word "relationship" mean anything to you?... I didn't think so._ _Well, let me speak from experience as someone who is able to "feel" and "love" and "care"...yeah, you've hurt me a lot. I don't know why you did it, because if your only reasoning was that me and Marshall fell together, then I have lost all respect for you._ _Well, I'll tell you, you selfish son of a bitch...you will let me make my own decisions."_ Skye scratched Chase's face quite violently, and then picked up his ripped collar.

 _"Whoops! You dropped something! No, not your collar...Yeah, that's it! It was only the respect and integrity of everyone that ever cared about you!..."_ Skye tossed the collar at the broken Shepherd and walked away, taking Ryder's breath with her.

Never in his life had he seen his pups act like this...any of them. Ryder glanced at the timestamp on the video, and he noticed that it was shot from only a few hours ago.

"Oh, god, that blood must've been from Chase! I have to find him, now!" Ryder slipped his pup pad into his back pocket and sprinted out into the main room of the Lookout. There, he quickly found the trail of blood leading out of the Lookout, and he followed it with a deadly focus.

Upon reaching the end of the trail, Ryder looked up from the blood that he had been watching so intently. He quickly realized that he was in front of Katie's Clinic. The lights were not on yet, because it was still relatively early. But the doors were always left unlocked, and so he stepped forward as they slid open. Ryder frantically searched for the light switch, and flipped it on. But Ryder nearly dropped to his knees when he saw Chase, laying next to one of the medical tables. The Shepherd was not moving.

* * *

The pups awoke with a start as someone knocked on Marshall's door. Rocky yawned, and shook the sleepy Dalmatian awake before hopping down to answer the door. Skye woke up when she felt Rocky jump off of Marshall's bed, and they all watched as Rocky stood up on his hind legs and put his paws on the handle. But the person on the other side began pushing the door open, leaving Rocky dangling from the handle as he was swung towards the wall.

"Whoa-oa-oa! Hey, get me down from here!" The door quickly stopped opening, and Marshall's doctor stepped into the room.

"Oh, hey Rocky! Sorry about that; I didn't know Marshall had company today." He smiled as he lifted the gray pup and set him on the floor. After turning to close the door, he happily greeted the pups. "Good morning, everyone!" Rocky frowned as he hopped up onto Marshall's bed again.

"Well, it would've been a good morning if I wasn't almost turned into a Rocky pancake!" Now awake, Marshall gave him a gentle nudge.

"Oh, lighten up, Rocky. Besides, I thought you looked pretty funny hanging from the door like that!" Everyone but Rocky laughed as Marshall's doctor came over and sat on the bed with them.

"I don't believe I've introduced myself; my name is Dr. Wilson, but Marshall just calls me Derek, so feel free to call me whatever you want!" Rocky smirked.

"You guys are on first-name basis?" he asked Dr. Wilson. The doctor laughed at the tone in Rocky's voice.

"Yep. Me and this fuzzy little guy have spent a lot of time together." Hearing her mate talked about like that, Skye instinctively snuggled up against him. This made Dr. Wilson smile.

"You're definitely right about that, Dr. Wilson; Marshall is the fuzziest pup in the whole wide world!" Skye brushed her muzzle against his cheek, making him smile and nuzzle her back. Dr. Wilson chuckled, and Rocky hopped up on his lap to whisper something in his ear. After Rocky pulled away, the doctor gave an "ohhhh", and his smile transformed into a teasing grin. Rocky looked at him, and nodded his head, bearing the same grin on his face. Dr. Wilson turned back to Marshall and Skye.

"Soooo, Rocky tells me that you two are gonna be in the talent show coming up..." He paused briefly, and then looked at the confused Dalmatian with the same grin that Rocky had. "...And apparently, you needed some motivation, is that right?"

Marshall's confusion quickly faded, and was replaced by a fierce blush.

"...What did Rocky tell you?"

Before Dr. Wilson could respond, Rocky burst out into laughter, eyes shut tight and tears streaming down his face.

"Oh, your face was priceless! You looked so confused, and once he said "motivation", your face was redder than your firetruck!"

The Dalmatian's blush disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Now it was Marshall who had a smirk on his face.

"Well, it's more action than you've ever seen!"

Dr. Wilson couldn't help but laugh with Marshall, and they high-fived as Rocky's pride took a punch.

"Hey, I thought you were on my side! I'm the one who told you the secret!" Feeling a bit sorry for Rocky, Dr. Wilson stopped laughing and scratched his belly. "Hoo-hoo-hoo, tickle spot!"

"Sorry, Rocky; I'm supposed to be a professional, but you gotta admit, that was pretty funny. And trust me, Marshall's face was just as funny!"

"Hey! I thought you were on MY side! You're MY doctor!" A very frustrated Marshall huffed.

"Hey, guys, we like to have fun sometimes, right? If it makes you feel better, I'm on everyone's side!" Patting Marshall's head and putting the joke aside, Dr. Wilson moved to the evaluation.

So how's my favorite Dalmatian doing today?" He ruffled Marshall's head, getting him to giggle.

"Well, my head doesn't hurt as much as yesterday, and my leg is getting kind of itchy." His doctor smiled again.

"It sounds like your're healing pretty well, Marshall. Mind if I have a look at your leg?" Marshall smiled back and nodded.

"Hey, Derek?"

"What's up, bud?"

"Try not to make it tickle like last time. I'm very ticklish."

Dr. Wilson smiled at Marshall, and chuckled.

"I'll be extra careful this time." He pulled Marshall's blanket away to expose his hind legs.

"Okay, let's see what we got here." He gently moved his hand along Marshall's leg, feeling for anything abnormal. But he was still feeling a bit playful.

"Oh my, what have we got here?" He pretended to look surprised, and Marshall's expression went blank.

"Wh-what's wrong? Derek, I-i-is everything okay?"

"Oh, no, this looks bad." Dr. Wilson stretched out his words, with an obvious tone of sarcasm. But Marshall was genuinely concerned.

"How bad is it? What's wrong?"

"Oh, yes...well, I better take a closer look at that." He was having fun playing with the poor Dalmatian's emotions.

"Hmm...yes, just as I expected."

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"It appears that you have a pretty severe case of...the tickles!" Dr. Wilson tickled the bottom of Marshall's paw, making him giggle and squirm.

"Ahh, why did you do that? Ohh, that tickles! Ahh!" Dr. Wilson laughed, and ceased his tickling. Marshall panted, trying to catch his breath.

*pant* "So, what's wrong with my leg?"

Dr. Wilson smiled even bigger.

"There's nothing wrong with your leg. It's actually healing rather well; I was just messing with you!" The Dalmatian's eyes went wide with realization.

"Hey! You tickled me on purpose!"

"I sure did, buddy! I just couldn't resist once you you mentioned how ticklish you are!" He rubbed Marshall's belly, and Marshall chuckled.

"Yep, you're looking pretty good, Marshall! I'd say you'll be ready to go home in about a week."

Rocky and Skye cheered, and they both hugged the Dalmatian.

"Whoa, easy guys! I love you too, but I'd love you a lot more if you didn't make me into a Marshall sandwich!"

The two pups giggled and let go of him. Skye placed a kiss on his forehead, and let him lick her on the cheek. She held his face gently at arm's length.

"Be strong for me, okay? Once you get back home, we're gonna have a lot of fun!"

"You got that right!" A sassy Rocky popped in, grinning wildly.

Marshall just rolled his eyes.

"Heh, and you thought _I_ was the dirty pup!"

Skye face had confusion written all over it.

"Wait, what are you two talking about?" she asked them. The Dalmatian just laughed as Rocky gently nudged his head into him.

"Heheheh, don't worry about it." The Cockapoo raised her eyebrows and smiled at Marshall.

"Okay, then. But I expect to hear about this sometime, you silly goofball."

Marshall's face was beaming; he loved it when she called him that.

"And what if I don't tell you?"

Skye grinned mischievously. She didn't have to say a single word.

Marshall's triumphant posture quickly caved in when he realized what she meant.

"Oh, no no no! You don't have to do that! I'll tell you everything, just don't-" She didn't let him finish.

Skye grabbed him and pulled him in for a kiss. Marshall's face flushed, and Rocky was in hysterics. Once she pulled away from him, the Dalmatian was awash in happiness. She leaned over and whispered softly into his ear.

"That's good, because I still want that too."

Rocky was face-pawing at their shameless teasing and affection.

"Oh, get a room, you two. Yuck! Make sure to let me know when it's going to happen, so I can go move to Foggy Bottom for the night!"

Marshall whacked his brother on the side, earning a quizzical look from the gray pup.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't stand your _immaturity_." Marshall flashed his signature smile, and Rocky saw the impish look in his eyes.

"Well, look who's being immature now, you clown!" Rocky playfully charged at him, and Marshall was completely defenseless. The Dalmatian was pushed onto his back, and Rocky stood over the top of him. Marshall braced himself for whatever devilish plan the gray pup had in store for him, but he instead felt something wrap gently around his belly.

Marshall opened his eyes to see a happy Rocky, just laying his head on top of Marshall's chest. He giggled, and returned the embrace.

"Love you, Marshall, even if you _are_ a clown."

"Love you too, Rocky, even if you _are_ immature."

Rocky lifted his head up to look at Marshall, who just giggled. Rocky giggled too, and gave him one last nuzzle before hopping off the bed. Dr. Wilson sat on the side, smiling non-stop at all of the love and happiness that the three pups shared with each other.

Skye was waiting by the door for Rocky to finish up, and he joined her as the doctor opened the door for them. They both turned for one last goodbye, and were about to walk out the door. But suddenly, Rocky's pup tag blipped and lit up. A few seconds later, Skye's pup tag did the same. Both of them knew who it was, and they silently nodded at each other not to answer. They pretended to ignore their tags as they entered the hallway, and Dr. Wilson stood in the doorway, waving as they left. He re-entered Marshall's room and closed the door behind him.

As Rocky and Skye made their way outside and into Rocky's truck, they looked at each other one last time before Rocky started the engine. They both dreaded returning to the Lookout, but they knew they couldn't stay away forever. Neither of them wanted to see Ryder, or Chase for that matter.

"Well, it won't be all bad when we get back to the Lookout," Rocky said to Skye. "I'm going to start working on Marshall's firetruck and get it fixed up from the accident. I've got a couple workers coming to replace the broken windshield and the busted emergency lights while I work on the mechanical stuff. It's a surprise that I'm working on for him, so when he comes back home, his firetruck will be good as new." Skye smiled at how much Rocky cared about Marshall.

"...I'm going to help with his firetruck too. If it's for Marshall, I would do anything."

Rocky smiled at Skye's offer.

"Okay, that's great! I could use all the help I can get..." Rocky trailed off for a second before continuing. "...You know, Ryder is gonna want to talk to us when we get back. Are you sure you want to help me? I don't want to cause any trouble for y-" Skye put a paw to Rocky's mouth, silencing him.

"Rocky, you forget that I was a part of that. I did just as much to Chase as you, so if you get lectured, we get lectured together." Skye put her paw around him in support. And just as she did, Rocky's eyes lit up.

"Skye, I just thought of a way that we can totally shut Ryder out! I mean, you don't care about what he's going to talk to us about, right? Because I don't regret a single thing that I've done..." Rocky looked at her, waiting for a sign that she was on the same page.

"Of course I don't regret what I've done! That's why we're together in this mess!" Skye giggled, and Rocky smirked, now being able to execute his plan.

"Okay, so I'm going to give you one of my latest inventions to use while we work. It's a little gadget that can play music through these little speakers you put in your ears. I call it, the pupPod! I have two of them, so I can use one too. If Ryder comes over and tries to talk to us, you can just tap the screen, and the music will start playing. That way, we can't hear what he's saying! What do you think?"

Skye giggled and did a flip.

"Rocky, that plan sounds great! I can't wait to use the pupPod! Do you have good music on it?"

"Oh, it's loaded up will all kinds of music!"

The two pups wore scheming grins on their faces as Rocky began to pull away from the hospital. Ryder was in for a big surprise.

* * *

 **Wow, this is a big chapter! I almost can't believe how much stuff I managed to cram into 4000 words XD I had a lot of help on this one, so I'd like to thank xKovu01 once again for their ideas and dedication to the story! Let me know if you guys like these longer chapters :-) I like them because I can throw tons of detail into every scene, without having to be super concise! With this chapter, I tried to have a bit of buildup, as well as a bit of relief. I also wanted to really emphasize the strong bonds that both Rocky amd Skye share with Marshall. Their bonds with him have instilled a common bond between each other, and they often communicate the same thoughts and actions. Drop a pm or review letting me know how I did with those concepts :-D**

 **SIDENOTE: If you're curious about why I chose "Solidification" as the title, I have a shpeal below explaining it's significance. If you aren't interested, then that's all** **I've got, so hope you enjoyed, and thanks for reading! :-D**

* * *

 **SHPEAL ALERT: This helps to explain why I chose the word "Solidification" for the title.**

 **Firstly, for the titles, I always try to keep it to a single word. To me, a single word can mean just as much as several words, or even more. This word has several representations, so I figured I would point them out to help it make sense :-)**

 **The two primary examples that support Solidification are the morbid description of Chase's injuries, and the moment where Ryder sees the camera footage. They both highlight the key concept that Rocky and Skye are just so far done with Ryder's mentality regarding Chase's punishment, as well as Chase's behavior. When it is said that Chase removed his paw from his face because his heart was hurt, that was the moment where Rocky and Skye had finally started to get through to him. Though he is still in denial, Chase is starting to feel the pain that their words carry. And with Ryder, the footage conveys how strongly Rocky and Skye disapprove of Ryder's handle on Chase's hostile behavior.**

 **And with those examples signifying Rocky and Skye's general dislike of Ryder and Chase, it also helps to solidify the common bond between Rocky and Skye's ideologies.**

 **Also, Rocky and Skye's love and happiness towards Marshall solidifies the bond that all of them share together, which has become incredibly strong in spite of everything.**

 **Phew! That was a lot of explanation, so thanks if you're still with me! Hopefully, that made some sense and I didn't just confuse you more :-P But if I did happen to confuse you, please let me know and I will try to re-explain myself :-D Thanks again for being curious, because I actually spend a measurable amount of time picking the titles for the chapters! But most of all, thanks for reading the story!**


	19. Understanding

**What's going on, everybody? I just wanted to start off by saying that I'm sure that some of you saw the message that I posted in the "Reviews" section, and if you haven't, I encourage you to please give it a read (it was posted as a "review" on Chapter 20). For those of you who have read, it, I wanted to thank you for understanding :-) I want to keep the "Reviews" section a friendly and informative place, and everyone's cooperation is very much appreciated!**

 **But enough about that! You're here for the chapter, which should be quite an emotional one, at that. I hope you enjoy :-D**

* * *

 _Some time later,_ as _Rocky and Skye are arriving at the Lookout..._

"Okay, Skye. I'm going to pull up around back where our pup houses are, so we can maybe get to Marshall's truck without being interrupted," Rocky quietly informed her, while slowly inching up the Lookout drive. He tried to keep his engine as quiet as possible, and consequently, it took Rocky several minutes to reach the top of the hill. But he was able to successfully sneak around to the pups' houses. He cut the engine, and he and Skye hopped out.

Rocky approached Marshall's pup house, and motioned for Skye to follow him. It was hard to see his gray fur in the early morning light, but she was able to locate him as she got closer.

"Oh, I sure hope this works," he said preemptively."Vehicle, wruff!" Much to his surprise, Marshall's pup house began to transform into his firetruck. Rocky gave a silent fist-pump as Skye smiled happily. "Yes, it worked."

He then turned to her with a look of determination.

"Okay, Skye. I need you to grab my toolbox out of my truck. I don't want to risk getting my pup pack out of the Lookout, because Ryder's awake and he doesn't know we're here." Skye nodded and walked over towards his recycling truck to retrieve his toolbox.

While she was doing that, Rocky decided to give Marshall's firetruck a quick reevaluation before he got started.

Okay, so I've got the guys coming to help with the windshield, and the lights, and...that only leaves about a gazillion more things for me to do." Skye ambled back to the firetruck with Rocky's toolbox between her teeth. She set it down next to him, and giggled.

"You talking to yourself again?"

Rocky chuckled back, smiling as he took his toolbox and set it in the passenger seat of the firetruck.

"Yeah, I'm just trying to make a list of everything that needs fixing, which is...pretty much everything." The gray pup shrugged his shoulders matter-of-factly. He glanced over at Marshall's truck, and noticed something problematic.

"There's no way I can fit my roller board underneath his firetruck; it's too low to the ground..." He shifted his gaze over to the hydraulic lift that Ryder often used to lift his ATV up off the ground for repairs. "If we could get his truck over to Ryder's lift, I could get under it no problem...but how are we going to move it without Ryder hearing? We can't start the engine; it's too loud, and it might need a couple tries to start anyways. We can't risk it."

"...Risk what?" Rocky and Skye looked at each other, checking to make sure the voice they heard wasn't from them. And when they made the realization that neither of them had said a word, they immediately knew who the voice belonged to. They both turned around to face him.

"...I saw the video...Rocky..."

The gray pup was silent. Ryder knelt down in front of him.

"Now, I understand what you have gone through, and I know how you feel...but-"

Rocky interupted Ryder with a harsh laugh. He reached to his neck and turned his pup tag on, so all of the pups could hear what they were saying.

"Oh, you understand...you know _exactly_ how I feel..." There was an icy edge to his voice as he spoke. Rocky laughed sarcastically, looking directly at Ryder.

"...You have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what I've been through! You don't have a clue how I feel!" Rocky paused to shake his head in utter disbelief.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to see someone who was once your friend, try to kill his BEST friend? Marshall isn't just a friend to me...he's my family." Rocky began to sniffle, wiping his eye with his paw.

"...You know, before I came to the PAW Patrol, I wasn't loved at all. I had no one...My parents...they didn't like me. My mom...she thought my inventions were weird...She said that collecting garbage, wasn't normal...My dad...didn't think I was worthy to be his son. He said that I...wasn't very masculine. One day, he just woke me up...and told me to leave. When I asked him why, he said that there wasn't any room in his house...for a little bitch like me...He didn't let me take anything, he just picked me up and threw me outside. He told me that I could come back...once I grew a pair, and after they dropped. He slammed the door in my face...and from that point on, I was by myself. Living on the streets, I learned to become good at salvaging, and making something out of nothing...That's why I'm so passionate about recycling. But none of that mattered; I was still alone in the world, with no one to turn to. But all of that changed...the day Marshall came into my life."

"Marshall was a stranger, just another pup on the playground...But there was one pup...That one pup, that pit bull...he broke me. He bullied and abused me to no end, every single day. And then came the day, where he decided to take the next step, and try to kill me." He paused to hold back a shudder.

"I knew that I was going to die that day...and at that point in my life...I didn't care." Rocky began to lose composure, and Skye laid a paw on his shoulder in reassurance.

*sniff* "He tried to drown me, but that wasn't enough for him. He dragged me out of the water, and...he, he hung me from the playset by my collar, leaving me to die. It was as life was trying to help my suffering to end. I had no friends...no family...nothing to lose...That was the day where I smiled at Death, and reached my paws out to welcome it. There would be no more suffering...I hurt so badly...and it was all about to end..."

Tears were freely flowing from Rocky's eyes, and the pups, having heard his anger moments ago, had lined up behind Ryder, watching everything that was happening. Rubble was weeping almost inconsolably, leaning on a misty-eyed Zuma for comfort. But there were two pups who weren't present among them. The Shepherd was still in Katie's Clinic, now being treated for his injuries. He was awake, alive, and conscious of everything that was being said. The Dalmatian was completely silent, laying in his hospital bed and listening intently as he recalled that fateful day for himself.

"But there was one pup, who was brave enough to challenge Death...The one pup who single-handedly took on the very group of pups that tormented me...and killed their leader. The one pup who thought that I was worthy of my meaningless life...The one pup who didn't even know me...Never have I been so grateful for anything in my entire life." Rocky began to smile softly.

"I still remember the moment where he was bent over my body, sobbing because he has just ended my pain with his own violence...I looked up at him, and I placed my paw over his mouth, silencing his tears. I grabbed him, and pulled him into an embrace. In the silence of grief, he told me his entire life story...how his parents abandoned him, how they dropped him in the middle of the street, how he was left for dead...But after pouring out all of his sadness, he held me gently, and he sang to me. He sang a song...he said to leave out all the rest. He was filled with the same pain that I was, and we needed each other. And so, we made a pact...a promise, to always be there for each other, and to spend the rest of our lives together. We became brothers, bonded for life...for better or worse...until the end of time...beyond death...and into the afterlife. That one pup ended my life of loneliness and pain, and turned it into a life of love and acceptance. I love that pup with a love unlike any other...And his name is Marshall."

Utter silence followed. Skye's face became wet with tears as the sensitive information hit her ears for the first time, much like the others...both pup and person.

"So if you think that you can understand what I've been through...then you are sorely mistaken." Rocky took a moment to look at his pup tag, adjusting the tone in his voice to address one pup in particular.

"There is no question that he is aware of what he has done to hurt me, and my family. And he didn't try once, or twice. No, he has attempted to take Marshall's life on three seperate occasions. He is a monster, with a heart colder, and more empty, than the depths of space itself. I don't expect him to change, but I will say this." Looking at his pup tag, Rocky spoke directly to him.

"You have dealt irreparable amounts of sadness and pain to us, and each time you have tried to lash out, I have countered back. I'm not sorry for anything that I've done, but maybe _you_ should be. Maybe YOU should regret all of the damage that you've caused, and all of the lives that YOU have destroyed. If you have the nerve, if you have the audacity to _ever_ take my brother's life, YOU will have taken your own. That, is a promise." And with that, Rocky turned his pup tag off and removed it from his collar.

"So if you were still going to try to lecture me after all of that, then here, you can lecture my pup tag." Rocky set his pup tag on top of his truck, patting it once for emphasis before turning away. Not a single breath was taken as the gray pup pulled his PupPod out of his truck and straightened the cords out.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, me and Skye have important repairs to make."

Popping in one earpiece, then the other, Skye followed suit.

Ryder was in complete shock. There were an incredible number of thoughts and questions that filled his mind, but he could clearly see that neither Rocky or Skye were willing to listen. Not knowing what else to do, Ryder honored their request, and motioned for the rest of the pups to follow him back into the Lookout.

Before going in, Ryder took one last look at Rocky and Skye, who were about to attempt pushing Marshall's firetruck over to the lift. Utilizing a combination of strength and rage, Rocky was able to, amazingly, move Marshall's truck all by himself. It took almost no effort for the gray pup to roll it onto the lift and jack it up, which would normally be difficult for even a group of grown men. Ryder turned back and walked through the Lookout doors, beginning to process bits and pieces of everything that had been said. But before he could get very far, a tearful Zuma and a shaken-up Rubble approached him, with nothing but sadness and confusion in their eyes.

"W-Wyder?...Did Mawshall and Wocky's parents...weally abandon them?"

Ryder didn't know what to say. He knelt down in front of the Chocolate Lab, and gently stroked his head.

"Zuma...today, we have all learned things. I, as well as you, have heard everything that was said, for the first time. I...I had no idea that Rocky and Marshall...have lived such difficult lives. It must have been incredibly hard for Rocky to share all of that...so we owe him our respect." Ryder decided to withhold the sensitive information about Rocky, Skye, and Chase's ordeal from the previous night, not wanting to drag Rubble and Zuma into the confusion that he was experiencing for himself.

Rubble moved closer to Ryder, and he began sniffling.

"Ryder...is what Rocky said, really true?...About him, wanting...to, to..." Rubble couldn't finish the question, and he broke down into a flood of tears. Both Zuma and Ryder brought the youngest pup close, knowing how confused he must feel.

"Rubble...when a person, or a pup...reaches a point in their life, where they are hurt very badly, and are very sad...life, can feel like a curse, rather than a blessing. Rocky had sustained an incredible amount of pain...rejection...and hopelessness. And when he felt all of those things...at that point in his life...life was more painful than death." Ryder concluded by bringing both of his pups into a loving embrace, wiping away their tears. He held them gently at arm's length, and looked into their troubled eyes.

"If either of you...ever feel like you aren't important...or you aren't loved...or you've given up hope...I want you to know, that you can _always_ come to me. You both have many friends, pups, and people who all care about you, and any single one of them would listen to what you have to say...I love all of you more than anything in the entire world...and I don't know what I would do if one of you ever..." Ryder choked his sadness by hugging his pups closely once more. They reached their paws around him, returning his outspoken love. He held them there for the longest time, no one wanting to let go. All three of them comforted each other in this time of confusion and sadness. They finally...began to understand.

* * *

As soon as Ryder had entered the Lookout, Rocky tore the gadget from his ears, and immediately began sobbing. Skye rushed over to the sad gray pup, who was slumped on the ground, and hanging his head. Without thinking, he reached his paws out, and pulled Skye into an embrace. He just held her there as he cried...for all of his pain...for all of his rejection...and for all of the people and pups in his life that cared about him. He had been broken, and rebuilt...but he once again felt the impact of his former life strike him again, and again, slowly breaking him down.

Skye reached over and grabbed his pup tag, handing it to him.

"Rocky...that was really brave of you. Marshall would be proud..."

The gray pup raised his eyes at the mention of his brother. He slowly repeated the name to himself.

"...Marshall..."

Rocky clenched his pup tag in his paw, and stood up abruptly, shaking the sadness from his body. He looked towards the brilliant sun, which was now nearing its peak. He reached to his collar to refasten his pup tag, and without another word, Rocky walked back over to Marshall's firetruck, rolling underneath it. Skye followed him over, and stood by his side in case he needed anything. She dared not interrupt him in his current state.

As Rocky worked fervently on the truck, the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. The air was dead with diligence, and the cicadas began their dreadful hiss. Sweat poured off of his forehead.

"Hey, Rocky, do you want me to get you something to drink? It's getting pretty hot out."

Skye offered her help, butto Rocky, it almost seemed as if she wasn't there. He worked on, as his green suit became drenched with sweat.

A short time later, the low roar of a truck could be heard. Rocky pulled himself out from underneath Marshall's firetruck, and walked over to greet the workers that he had called to help. They removed a large pane of glass from the back, and Rocky brought his forklift over to help move it to the lift. Once the workers got situated, Rocky got right back underneath Marshall's truck and went straight to work.

Both Rocky and the workers spent a solid half an hour doing their thing, installing the windshield, and fixing the internals. But even the seasoned workmen were beginning to fatigue from the oppressive heat.

"Alright, boys, let's take five and grab some water!" The project manager called his men over to their truck, where they crowded around a cooler and distributed bottles to each other.

Skye was getting thirsty herself, and she hadn't even been working that hard. She looked over at Rocky, who was now thoroughly saturated in his own sweat. His fur had darkened from being so wet, and beads of sweat were beginning to drip from his whiskers.

"Rocky, I really think that you should have something to drink. You're sweating buckets, and I don't want you to pass out while you're working."

Skye didn't get a response, but she heard a thunk from underneath Marshall's firetruck, followed by angry Rocky.

"Damn it!"

Skye noticed that the heat was getting to him, and making him more easily frustrated. She was becoming increasingly concerned for him.

"Rocky, I am getting you some water, whether you want it or not!"

She walked over to the workers, and got a bottle of water for him. Skye nudged his water dish over to wher he was working, and poured some water into it.

"Don't be stubborn, Rocky! No one needs you passed out under Marshall's truck because you refused to take a break."

She heard a muffled voice from underneath the firetruck.

"...That better be some damn good water."

Much to her delight, the soggy gray pup slid out from below, and grudgingly stood up. But when the blood rushed to his head, he was seeing stars. He immediately began to sway.

"Easy, Rocky, I got you!" Skye hopped over to his side, and allowed him to lean on her. He grunted as he felt his weight fall onto her, and Skye gently helped him back up. He was grateful for her help, but he felt his pride deflate significantly. One minute, he was working incredibly hard on Marshall's firetruck...like a man...and then the next, he had to be walked over to his water dish...like a pup. He was angry at his lack of strength, and wanted to work even harder now. But Skye was every bit as stubborn as he was.

"For God's sake, Rocky, just drink some water! You'll be useless in this heat if you don't!"

Going against what little pride that remained intact, Rocky's rational side began to show through. With a slight huff in annoyance, he slowly lowered his head to his bowl, and lapped at the cool liquid with his tongue. But no sooner had his tongue hit the water, Rocky hopped on his roller board, and slid right back underneath Marshall's truck.

"Rocky, you barely drank anything! You're going to get heat exhaustion if you keep working!"

But when Skye just heard the sound of his wrench twisting and clanking, her concern grew considerably. She decided that Rocky needed help, and so Skye turned to run towards the Lookout.

Once she walked through the glass doors, Skye looked desperately for anyone able to help. But the only person who was available, was Ryder. Sighing, she approached him with a look of disdain.

"Ryder."

The brown-haired boy looked down to see Skye in front of him. There was an edge of seriousness to her voice, but it was nearly covered up by her look of scorn and disapproval. Obviously, she was still irritated at him, but he humored her anyways.

"Hey, Skye! What's up?"

"Well, Rocky is outside working with me and the workmen on Marshall's firetruck, but he's so focused on working, that he's barely drank any water. The one time that he did stop working for a break, he nearly fell over when he stood up. He won't listen to me, but I'm worried that he's going to hurt himself."

Ryder sat there for a second, processing what she had told him. After reaching a decision, he stood up quickly.

"Hold on just a minute; I'll be right back." Ryder ran off towards the Elevator, and Skye assumed that he wouldn't be of any use. She paced back and forth, trying to think of a way to get Rocky to stop for a bit. But she was struggling to come up with something that might budge the stubborn recycling pup. Feeling slightly anxious, she ran back outside to check up on him.

Apparently, she had been inside for longer than she had thought, because the workers were already packing up their tools and equipment. As she got closer to Marshall's firetruck, she began to notice that something was different about it. There were now two small lights, one on both sides of the brand new windshield. And also, Marshall's emergency lights had been completely replaced. Rocky was now out from under the firetruck, fiddling with something around the side.

"Are you finally going to take a break now? You've been working too hard to say no."

Rocky looked at her with frustration.

"Well, I might've been able to take a break if I could get these stupid screws through this shield!"

Skye looked closer at what he was doing, and she was amazed. In his paw, he held a badge from the Chief of the Adventure Bay Fire Department. Etched on its surface was a picture of Marshall, and arching above and below the picture, an inscription read: _"_ _Greatest Fire Pup in the World"_. Rocky held two of these shields, and he obviously lacked the proper tools to fasten them to the firetruck. The irritated gray pup was nearly ready to throw the shields on the ground, but a certain voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Would this help?"

Rocky spun around to see Ryder, who was holding his pup pack, and something else behind it. He set the pup pack down, and produced a crazy straw that had a little recycling symbol on it. As soon as Rocky saw it, his cheeks began to flush.

"Uhh...why do you have that? Heheh, I haven't needed that in years!"

Ryder smiled as he knelt down to place the straw in Rocky's water bowl.

"Back when you were a little pup, after you joined the team, you were so afraid of water, that it was a struggle to even get you to drink it. And the only way I could get you to drink water was if you had your special straw."

Rocky groaned in embarrassment. And if Skye didn't know about his past, she would've been teasing him about it. Instead, she offered him a supportive smile.

"Come on, Rocky! It's not so bad. And you even have your favorite straw to drink with!"

The poor recycling pup was torn. That water _did_ look nice and cool...

With a slight hesitation, Rocky eased his mouth around the straw, and began taking little slurps of water. Skye cheered and flipped as he slowly emptied his bowl.

After he finished, Rocky giggled a little.

"Wow, I didn't realize I was that thirsty! I guess I was caught up with working so hard, that I didn't thnk I could stop to take a break. Well, that and the fact that it was, water. If it was juice or something, then maybe I would've taken a break or two. Maybe. And then I wouldn't have needed...my puppy straw."

Everyone shared a laugh, before the hard-working Rocky began to kick in.

"Well, now that I have my pup pack, I guess I won't be needing my toolbox anymore." He began to pick up the stray wrenches and screwdrivers, but Ryder stopped him.

"If you want, I could help with the repairs."

Rocky pondered the offer; sure, he was still a bit frustrated with Ryder from before, but he knew that his ultimate goal was to get Marshall's truck all fixed up. And any extra hands would help him work faster.

"Well, I already have my extra tools out, so I guess I could use an extra hand." Ryder smiled as he grabbed Rocky's toolbox and followed him to where he was trying to fasten the shield earlier.

"Could you hold this shield in place while I screw it on?"

Ryder nodded, and did as he was asked. With the extra set of hands, and his pup pack, Rocky was able to work twice as fast. In a matter of hours, Marshall's firetruck had been sanded and repainted, Rocky had fastened a shield to both sides, and Skye had kept them working hard by supplying them with fresh lemonade (by Rocky's request), and snacks.

And with the time left in the day, Rocky had time to add a few things. He reworked the circuits in the emergency lights, and then Rocky hopped up in the driver's seat to turn them on. The recycling pup stepped back to admire his work. The emergency lights flashed brilliantly in a burst, followed by a single flash, alternating speed between sets of flashes. And the lights by the winshield continuously flashed a single time. Rocky was very pleased...but something was still missing. He hopped in the back of his truck, and grabbed his welding mask.

"Wruff! Etcher!"

A small plasma torch unfolded from his pup pack, and he flipped his mask down. He moved the torch very precisely, taking care to move at a consistent speed. After several minutes, he moved to the other side, and repeated his work. When he was finished, he backed away once again, and smiled.

Next to the shields that were on the sides of Marshall's firetruck, Rocky had inscribed the phrase that the Dalmatian would call upon to give him courage when he needed it. It had helped him to become "The Greatest Fire Pup in the World", and Rocky thought that it was an incredibly inspiring phrase. It fit Marshall's personality so well, and so Rocky had to put it on his firetruck.

 _"Do my best, and forget the rest!"_

Rocky teared up a little bit as he viewed the restored firetruck in its entirety. Skye put a paw on his shoulder, and Ryder stood behind them, looking on as well.

"Wow, Rocky. It looks amazing!" Skye hugged the recycling pup, and he couldn't help but smile.

Ryder also admired how much effort Rocky had put forth.

"Rocky...Marshall would be so proud of you."

The gray pup wa filled with nothing but happiness. He began to feel a sense of unity among Ryder, himself, and Skye. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened. It was almost as if life hadn't changed...And it was beautiful.

* * *

 **That chapter was incredibly satisfying to write :-) It had good feels, sad feels, humor, and the whole lot of emotions! This was another long chapter for you guys, so let me know what you thought about it! Did you like all of the sadness in the beginning, with Rocky's talk and then Rubble and Zuma's questions to Ryder? Those were both quite interesting to write; I had to find a refreshing way to reiterate Rocky's life story, but still have it be filled with lots of happiness and sadness, and I tried to mold Ryder's dialogue with Rubble and Zuma as if he were a parent trying to explain death and suicide to their children. I myself felt pretty emotional when forming their dialogues, so please let me know how you felt with them! And I really wanted the chapter to end in a positive way, because Rocky basically relived all of the pain from his life by telling his story once more. The poor little guy was pretty hurt from that, and so I made sure that everything would work out with the repairs on Marshall's firetruck :-) I had a blast (as usual) writing this one, and hopefully you had a good time reading it! I'll see you all in the next chapter :-D**


	20. Feelings

**Hey, everyone! This chapter is so big, that I don't want to waste any time with author's notes, so I hope you enjoy! :-D**

* * *

 _Early the next morning..._

Ryder awoke to the sound of his pup pad ringing and buzzing on the shelf next to his bed. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he reached over to pick it up.

*yawn* "Hello, Ryder here."

"Sorry to wake you, Ryder, but I have some good news!" Ryder opened his eyes a little wider to see Marshall's doctor on the screen.

"Oh, it's no problem, Dr. Wilson. Go ahead, what's the news?"

The doctor smiled when he spoke.

"Well, after Marshall's assessment this morning, his leg seems to have healed rather significantly since yesterday. And also, his head injury has stopped bothering him! I thought that he wouldn't be ready for another week, but it looks like he's ready to leave today!"

"Wow! That's great news!" Ryder laughed, relieved.

"Yep, and he seems to be pretty excited, so you better get out here before he explodes!" Dr. Wilson turned his phone's camera so it faced Marshall, who was waving and giggling.

"Hi, Ryder! Can you believe it? I get to come home early! Woohoo!" Marshall jumped up and started dancing on his bed, elated at the idea of being with his friends.

"Whoa, Marshall, calm down! We'll be there soon, so try not to cause any trouble for Dr. Wilson, okay?"

Marshall flashed a cheesy smile, before giggling and sitting back down.

"Oh, don't worry, Ryder," Dr. Wilson patted Marshall's head. "I'll keep an eye on him until the very second you get here!"

Ryder chuckled.

"Great! See you soon, buddy! Ryder, out."

The screen to his pup pad flashed black, and he stuck it in his back pocket before walking outside to the pups' houses.

He approached Skye's pup house first, and gently urged her to wake up.

"Hey, Skye. I just got a call from Dr. Wilson, and he says that Marshall is well enough to come home today!" Ryder barely had time to finish his sentence before Skye's eyes shot open, and she leaped towards him, knocking him down. She quickly hopped off of him, and proceeded to prance and flip about the yard, cheering.

"MARSHALL'S COMING HOME!"

Her exclamation stirred Rocky and Zuma from their sleep, but Rubble showed absolutely no sign of waking. Chase, on the other hand, hadn't slept well at all since Ryder began to enforce his consequence, keeping him in his pup house for the evenings. And the previous night had been no different. He was awake, but merely perked one ear slightly, keeping his eyes closed.

Rocky stretched out and yawned before fully realizing what Skye just said.

"Wait, did you say Marshall's coming home?" he asked with a knowing smile on his face.

Skye yipped and did a backflip.

"I sure did! Dr. Wilson says he's all better!"

"Dude, that's awesome! Mawshall must be stoked!" Zuma high-pawed Rocky, and the gray pup almost started crying at the thought of Marshall's return. With a smile on his face, he walked over to Marshall's now-restored firetruck, and hopped up to the driver's seat.

"Well, who's with me?"

Skye bounded over to the firetruck, but quickly stopped as an idea crossed her mind.

"Hold on, I'll be right back!" She turned and ran into the Lookout, emerging a moment later with Marshall's medic cap in her mouth. She hopped up next to Rocky, and placed the cap on Rocky's head.

"Well, if you're driving his firetruck, you might as well wear this too!"

Rocky giggled, and brought his paw up to touch it, acknowledging its significance before starting the engine.

"Hold up, dudes, I'm coming too! Arf arf! Hovewcwaft!" Zuma's pup house quickly transformed into his vehicle, and he climbed into the seat.

"Okay, let's go!" Ryder started up his ATV, and led the pups as they drove to the hospital.

* * *

Upon their arrival at the hospital, Dr. Wilson was standing in the entryway, next to a very excited Marshall. But the spotted pup's expression quickly changed once Rocky and Skye pulled up behind Ryder. Dr. Wilson respectfully said goodbye, and re-entered the hospital. Marshall walked through the glass doors to meet his friends, but was also met with something else.

"...Wow!" His jaw dropped at the incredible vehicle that was once his smoke-spewing firetruck. Seeing Marshall's expression, Rocky reached over and turned on all of the lights and sirens.

As the sirens blared and the lights flashed beautifully, tears began to trickle down the Dalmatian's face. Rocky and Skye slowly climbed down, and made their way over to him. Rocky pulled Marshall into an embrace, and Skye shared it with him. They just held their beloved fire pup as he cried tears of overwhelming joy. Rocky and Skye gently eased him towards his firetruck, and he climbed into the passenger seat. Rocky hopped up next to him, and looked his brother in the eyes. With a warm smile, he removed the medic cap from his head, and placed it onto Marshall.

"I missed you, buddy."

Marshall, still unable to speak, clung onto the gray pup. Skye joined the two in Marshall's firetruck, and gently sat in front of the Dalmatian. Her presence broke his hold on Rocky, and instead, she laid her head against his chest, looking up at his watery, sapphire eyes.

"It's good to have you back, Marshall. I missed you."

The poor Dalmatian was completely overjoyed, and struggled to find any other way to express his emotions. All he could do is cry. Skye snuggled her head into his soft, white chest, both seeking and providing comfort. Marshall felt a paw on his shoulder, and turned to see Zuma, smiling happily. And soon after, Ryder was on his other shoulder, adding his love and support to the rest. And they all stayed like this for several minutes, until Marshall's crying began to subside.

Once the tears dried up, Marshall looked around at everyone, and still found it difficult to express his profound and sincere feelings. He tried, and tried, to say something, and he eventually succeeded.

"...L-l-o,lo...love." Marshall smiled, and everyone else smiled with him. Skye brought his head down, and gave him a kiss. Marshall's face flushed, making it even harder for him to speak. When he did finally try again, Skye put a paw to his lips, and gave him another kiss.

Rocky took that as his cue to start driving, and everyone followed in succession behind Ryder. Every so often, the mix-breed would look over at Marshall and Skye, and he couldn't help but smile. It was times like this where life felt...perfect. There were no troubles, no worries, and no sadness...there was only love.

* * *

Once Ryder and the pups returned to the Lookout, Rubble was awake, and he rushed over to greet Marshall. Everyone else gave the fire pup a second wave of love, but Marshall was still quite overwhelmed with all of the noise and pups in his face. With so many pups trying to give him licks and hugs, somewhere in the mix, his pup tag was bumped, unknowingly turning it on.

Rocky noticed the anxiety in Marshall's expression, and he tried to think of a way to alleviate the swarm of stimuli. But before he could, Zuma approached Marshall, and Rubble sat close behind him.

"M-Mawshall?...Did...did your pawents weally...abandon you?"

Marshall's body went completely rigid; Rocky and Skye lent their support, and stood by his side as he came out of his stupor.

The Dalmatian paused, gave a long sigh, and closed his eyes for a few seconds, before opening them one again.

"Yes...Yes, Zuma...My parents...abandoned me..."

Zuma's face was somber, but curious.

"But...why? Why would they do such a thing?"

Marshall shook his head in sad honesty.

"...I...I don't know...They called me stupid...They said that it wasn't normal for me to be so clumsy...That I was an embarrassment...That my eyes were alien...a bright blue that they had never seen before. They thought it was a mistake...They thought that _I_ was a mistake..."

Clouds of sadness began to form in the Dalmatian's eyes, and he closed them tightly, hoping they would dissipate. But when his eyes opened, a single tear traversed his face, landing on his paw. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and continued.

"They said those things to me every day...It was only a matter of time before I began to believe them. I'm not proud of where my life went after that."

"It didn't take long for the whispers of Death to begin taunting me...how I didn't have to hurt any more, how I didn't have to suffer anymore. I just had to let go, and my sorry excuse for a life would be over. No one would miss me; I had no friends, no family...nothing to lose. My heart was crying out for someone...anyone, to help rebuild it...But no one came."

"And so, when my father dropped me by the scruff into that busy city street, I had all but given up. I had no desire to move out of the way, to get to the side of the street...and somehow, when I opened my eyes...I was safe and off of the road...I was so close to finally achieving peace, but my instinct was too strong..."

Everyone present was in tears, with Zuma trying to play the tough pup, but failing to keep his composure. He and Rubble leaned on each other, unable to wrap their heads around how hurt Marshall was...and how Death was his only friend.

"Heh, I remember how I used to, to pretend that I had someone to play with...I had this tug toy that I would wrap around a tree branch, and I would hang from the end of it, pretending that the tree was pulling back...I didn't care that it was only a toy...and it didn't care that I had blue eyes, or that I was clumsy. It couldn't care, because it was only a toy, but to me, that tug toy was the only friend that I had..."

Marshall's eyes were closed once again, as he recalled the memory. But when he turned to Skye, and opened his eyes, his face was awash in a flood of sadness.

"Skye...Wa...Was I that bad of a mistake? Wa...Was I really that stupid? Wa...Was I really that unlovable?...D-Did I deserve all of the p-pain?...Was I a b-bad pup?"

Skye was now crying, as she stared into his lost and heartbroken eyes. She reached out her paws, and smiled.

"Come here, Marshall."

The Dalmatian buried his face into her chest, unleashing a torrent of tears. Skye just held him there, embracing him deeply, as he soaked her fur with his pain. It was difficult for Marshall to retell the story of his life...It was almost like living it again, and seeing Death, and wanting it, but knowing that it was just out of his reach. Zuma and Rubble stepped forward to offer their comfort, and each placed a paw on his shoulder. Rocky stood to the side, offering his presence, but not his mind. Skye spoke to him softly, but with purpose.

"Marshall...your parents did not treat you with the kindness and respect that you deserve. They instead battered you with terrible words, and broke you down until there was nothing left. Marshall, they were wrong. You are _not_ a mistake. You are unique, and you are special."

Marshall pulled his head away, but continued to look at Skye.

"You are the most caring, and lovable pup that I have ever known. You are _not_ weird, and your blue eyes...they are beautiful, and they are filled with so much love. You are one of a kind, and that's why I love you."

"When I look into your bright blue eyes, I feel your love immediately. Each time I look at them, my body grows weaker, and my love grows stronger..."

"...And you are brave...very brave and strong...Do you know how I know that?"

Marshall sniffled as he shook his head.

"No, How?"

"Because you survived; you survived that horrific pain...very few pups can do what you did...Very few pups are as strong and brave as you are."

Skye paused for a moment, wiping a tear of her own.

"Marshall?"

The Dalmatian slowly raised his head to look straight into her eyes.

"Do you remember a while back, when you were getting ready to take on the toughest fire pup obstacle course ever? Do you remember what you said as the Mayor sounded the horn?"

Marshall just stared at her, and Skye smiled softly.

"Do my best, and forget the rest, that's what you said. And who went on to become the World's Greatest Fire Pup?"

"Do you remember what your face looked like when the Mayor handed you the trophy?"

Marshall just continued to stare, which made Skye smile a little more.

"Come on, let me see that smile."

Marshall's face began to glow, and he slowly cracked a smile at her. The instant that he did, she swept him up in another embrace, and Marshall giggled through his lingering tears.

"Th-thank you, Skye! I-I love you!"

Skye licked a few of his tears away before pulling away.

"And I love you too, Marshall."

Suddenly, Skye had an idea. She smiled once more as she looked at Marshall.

"Do you maybe want to relax and watch some TV with me?"

And at the request, Marshall's tears had finally stopped. He smiled a goofy "Marshall" grin, and giggled.

"I would love to!"

But before they could turn to enter the Lookout, Rocky stifled a tear of his own. He began to walk towards Marshall, and the Dalmatian turned back to see him, before sprinting straight to his brother. Rocky welcomed him with an embrace of his own, and gently licked away the remaining tears from his cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Marshall...I'm sorry that you, that you had to live through all of that."

Now it was Marshall's turn to lick Rocky's tears away. He held his brother gingerly, and spoke with great.

"And Rocky, I'm sorry that you had to endure all of those horrible things. But, we...we survived those painful times, together...And now, look at us. We are here, together, twice as strong as we have ever been alone. But we don't have to be alone...We...will always have each other."

The two pups held each other there for many moments, and Skye sat there and watched the beautiful display of brotherly love. It was, so different than the love that she and Marshall shared, but yet, it was just as strong. One was of sympathy, and the other, of empathy. Skye watched as they separated, and Marshall smiled at his brother.

"Do you maybe want to watch some TV with me and Skye?

Rocky sniffled a little, and threw out a smile of his own.

"I would love to."

Marshall turned around to walk into the Lookout, expecting Rocky to follow. But the recycling pup had something else on his mind. As soon as Marshall noticed, he motioned for him to come inside.

"Hey, Marshall?" Rocky started, looking hesitant.

Marshall walked over to him, and put a paw around his back.

"What is it, Rocky?"

"Well...you know how I was wearing your medic cap when we came to pick you up? Well, I was wondering if, uh, you might let me try on your fire helmet."

The gray pup smiled cautiously fidgeting with his paws, and this made Marshall laugh.

"Is that it? You want to wear my fire helmet?"

Hearing Marshall's reaction, Rocky looked sheepishly at the ground.

"Aww, don't look so sad, buddy. I don't have a problem with you wearing it!"

The recycling pup's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Really? You mean it?!"

"Of course I mean it, you goofball! Now go on and grab it; it should be in the back of my truck."

Rocky giggled with glee as he bounded over to Marshall's firetruck. He jumped up into the back, with only his back legs sticking out, and when he emerged, he proudly wore the fire pup's red helmet. He giggled once more and grabbed his own cap in his mouth before running over to where Marshall and Skye were waiting, and they all walked into the Lookout.

Marshall reached up next to the TV and grabbed the remote control, and turned the TV on before taking his spot between Rocky and Skye. As they snuggled up to him, he flipped through channels, until he found a rerun of "Apollo the Super Pup". As Marshall felt the cool of his helmet brush against his side, he looked over at Rocky, and giggled.

"Heh, you look good in red!"

Rocky nudged Marshall in the side, receiving a playful glare from the Dalmatian. Without warning, Skye reached over and plucked Marshall's medic cap off of his head, putting it on her own.

"Ooh, lookin' good, Skye!" the recycling pup laughed. Then he turned to Marshall. "What do you think, Marshall-mallow?"

Skye giggled as Marshall rolled his eyes. Sometimes, being with Rocky and Skye made Marshall feel like the mature one of the bunch.

"Hey, Marshall, you're the only one without a hat now!" Skye pointed out.

Rocky pushed his green cap closer to Marshall, who looked at him with raised eyebrows. Rocky just nodded, and Marshall smiled lightly as he took Rocky's cap and put it on. By now, all three pups were giggling and teasing each other in good fun.

"Heheh! Hey, Rocks, your ears are sticking out." The gray pup felt like a blushing fool. He pulled the brim of the helmet over his face, concealing his embarrassment.

"Not funny, Marshmallow," he retaliated.

Now Marshall was the one who was blushing madly. Skye "awwed" at the two pups, and nuzzled Marshall on the cheek.

"Skye, I think you should wear my cap more often. It really makes your eyes pop!"

He licked her nose, and Skye laughed.

"You look pretty good yourself, Marshall!" Skye complimented him.

"She's not wrong; you look great with my cap!" Rocky agreed, whacking the brim playfully.

Rocky stopped for a second, and a large smile spread across his features.

"Hold on, guys, I'll be right back! I don't want to ever forget this moment!" The recycling pup bolted off, leaving a slightly confused Marshall and Skye. But they just shrugged their shoulders, and resumed their affection.

Rocky came back after a minute, sporting a camera around his neck and a pup-sized tripod in his mouth. But once he entered the room, the tripod fell from his mouth.

"Ugh, seriously, guys? I leave the room for one minute, and you two are all over each other!"

Marshall backed away from Skye's lips, scoffing at his brother.

"Im-ma-ture." The Dalmatian smirked as Rocky's ears began to spout steam.

"Marshall, do you really wanna go there?" Rocky smirked back. The fire pup put his paws up in the air.

"Okay, 'ya got me." He giggled once more, before giving Skye a lick on the cheek.

Rocky just shook his head, and focused back on his idea.

"I thought it would be cool if we got a picture together, wearing each other's hats!"

Marshall and Skye looked at each other, and then back at Rocky.

"Okay, I'm in!" Marshall smiled.

"Me too!" Skye yipped, doing a little flip.

"Awesome!" Rocky set up the tripod, and mounted the camera. He pressed a few buttons, and set a timer, then quickly ran over to join Marshall and Skye.

"First picture's a silly one!" Rocky called out.

The three pups all made a goofy face, or stuck their tongue out, and the shutter snapped a few moments later. Rocky ran over to see if the picture turned out.

"Heheheh, whaddya call that face, Marshall?" Rocky looked over at the Dalmatian, who demonstrated for them once more. He opened his eyes wide, and perked one of his ears up. Then he stuck his tongue out between his teeth, and tilted his head to the side. This earned another laugh from both Skye and Rocky.

"I don't know...hmm."

Skye smiled at him.

"Maybe you should just call it, 'The Marshall'!"

The fire pup pondered the suggestion, and quickly came to a consensus.

"I like it! It has a nice ring to it."

More laughter ensued, before Rocky reset the camera for another picture.

"Okay, this one's just a regular picture."

Marshall and Skye had their heads resting on each other, and wrapped their arms together. Rocky sat in front, and shifted Marshall's helmet so it was out of his eyes. In that moment, everyone was so happy, that Rocky didn't even have to remind them to smile. The shutter clicked, and Rocky took a look at the camera's screen.

"Hey, that turned out really nice! Much better face this time, Marshall."

The Dalmatian's smile, quickly melted into a look of displeasure.

"I'll have you know that my face doesn't always look this good. It only looks like this for you, Skye." He licked her cheek again, and she kissed his nose. Rocky's smirk dropped.

"Yeah, I'm going to go print copies of these while you two have another face battle. Don't let me know who ends up winning...yuck!" The recycling pup left with the camera and tripod, leaving Marshall and Skye to themselves. After Rocky left the room, they ended their affection, and contented themselves by laying next to each other in front of the TV once more.

Several minutes passed, and the Lookout doors slid open. Marshall and Skye turned around, and saw Ryder standing before them.

"Hey, pups! I hope I'm not interrupting," he greeted them with a smile.

Marshall and Skye looked at each other, and turned back to Ryder, shaking their heads.

"Great! Skye, would you mind if I talked with you for a minute? We can go outside if you'd like."

The two pups looked at each other a second time, with puzzled looks on their faces. Skye wasn't quite sure why Ryder just approached her out of the blue, but she decided to go along with it.

"Uhh, sure, Ryder. We can go outside."

The Cockapoo walked alongside him, and they turned the corner outside of the glass doors. Marshall felt a ping of curiosity, but decided against listening in to their conversation. Instead, he plopped down on his beanbag in front of the TV, and resumed watching Apollo.

Meanwhile, Ryder had a gentle, but serious look on his face as he and Skye stood outside.

"Skye, I don't have much to say, but...Chase was hurt pretty badly the other night...you know that as well as I do."

Skye looked at him with slight frustration.

"Then you know as well as I do, all of the horrible things that Chase has done...to Rocky, to Marshall...and to me."

"Why did you and Rocky decide to do those things to him? Chase walked into the Lookout, and Rocky jumped out at him. After Rocky did his damage, you walked in and did damage of your own. What made you think that was a good decision?"

"What made you think it was a good decision to only give Chase a one week punishment for nearly killing Marshall?"

"Skye, I found him passed out on the floor of Katie's this morning, covered in blood. He dragged himself all that way, and it probably saved his life."

"And he also deliberately set Marshall up to crash into that car! Ryder, he's a monster..."

"Do you think adding fire to fire helped at all? Skye, that attack was unprovoked. Chase didn't even know that anyone was inside when Rocky jumped at him."

"And how do you suppose we handle fire? Do we just let it ravage everything in its path, and make no effort to stop it? You can't call your _attempt_ at punishment, 'trying', because it wasn't even close."

Ryder was beginning to see that this "talk", had become a full-blown argument. Knowing that Skye was relentless in her thinking, he saw no other way.

*sigh* "Skye, do you realize the full impact of what you and Rocky have done?"

"Yes, I do."

Ryder was struggling; he had so much to think about, to consider, to evaluate...he didn't know who to support, who to believe, or who to trust. He would love nothing more than for all of his pups to fit those criteria, but every single pup had a different view, different experiences, different stories, different relations...

"Then you can go."

Without another word, Skye walked back into the Lookout. Ryder waited until she was inside, and then walked in through the doors to go to his room. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Skye entered the TV room, and saw her spotted mate enraptured by his favorite show. She laid down next to him, and he noticed her presence.

"Skye, you're back!" Marshall nuzzled her, and she giggled.

"Did you miss me?" Skye brushed her nose along his jaw, receiving a low hum from the Dalmatian. While she continued to stroke his jaw, he questioned her absence.

"So, why did Ryder want to talk to you?"

The instant he finished his sentence, Skye stopped, and slowly brought her muzzle away from his face.

Before she could say anything, a jovial Rocky walked into the room, wearing his pup pack and holding a stack of pictures in his pincer arm.

"Oh, you guys are gonna lo-"

When Rocky saw the serious look on Skye's face, and the blank confusion on Marshall's, he knew exactly what she was about to say. Setting the pictures to the side, he made his way over next to Marshall, and put a paw around him. Skye began to explain.

"We decided that it wasn't the right time to tell you when we visited you at the hospital, but we don't have much of a choice anymore, now that you're here at the Lookout. Marshall, while you were away..."

Skye was interrupted by Rocky, who put his paw up to silence her. She nodded and let him pick up the conversation.

"After everything that me and you have been through, together, and after everything that Chase has done to you in the past few weeks, he decides to pull another stunt, and lands you in the hospital, again. Two nights ago, Skye and I decided that enough was enough. I caught him by surprise as he walked into the Lookout, and I beat him senseless."

As Rocky went on to describe the damage that he dealt to Chase in detail, Marshall wasn't sure what to think. Once Rocky was done, Skye took over the explanation.

"Once Rocky started his truck and was going to visit you, I stopped him and asked him what he was doing, and then he told me that he just got done giving Chase the punishment that he had long deserved. That's when I went inside the Lookout, and told him exactly how I felt about what he'd done to you. I gave him a permanent reminder of our conversation, and then I left with Rocky to go see you."

After Rocky and Skye concluded their reconstruction of that night, a dazed Dalmatian stared at his two closest friends.

"...Y-you did all of that to Chase, for me?"

Rocky and Skye smiled at him, confirming his inquiry.

Marshall had no way of telling how he should feel: happy, angry, disapproving, or appreciative. He wished that he had been at the Lookout when they had decided to punish Chase, because if Rocky had asked him before the deed was done, he just couldn't see himself saying, "Go ahead, do it." If it was any other pup, and he was there before it happened, he would've stopped it. But it wasn't another pup...It was Chase. And Marshall wasn't there...

The fire pup was quite literally speechless; only his thoughts were capable of explaining how he felt. The whole room fell silent, and eventually, each pup was redirected back to the TV. Rocky and Skye didn't think much of Marshall's reaction; they were more focused on spending time with their best friend, their brother, and their mate. The three pups huddled up tightly, and just enjoyed their time together. Calm.

* * *

Pain. It was the only word on the German Shepherd's mind. To him, it seemed as if everything in his life now existed to hurt him.

As he sat alone in his pup house, where he has grown accustomed to spending most of his time, Chase continued to think.

"I...I want to reach out...to just go back to the way things used to be...but everyone seems so far away...No one will let me get close enough..."

The police pup dropped his head to his paws, and tears began to prick his eyes.

"I've heard what they call me...selfish...jealous...monster. I'm not a monster...I'm just lost...and no one will help me find the way back..."

Chase thought about what Marshall had said that morning. He thought about all of the hurt that was in the Dalmatian's voice...all of the sadness...The Shepherd had no idea that Marshall's life was so...painful.

And then, there was Rocky's narration of his previous life. All of his grief, and of his loneliness...it sounded just like Marshall. Perhaps that was why the two pups are now inseparable from each other. Rocky watched over the the fire pup like Marshall was the only thing in his life...and that statement was true...Marshall _was_ Rocky's life. They were all so happy...and then...Skye.

Despair poured forth from his dim, hopeless eyes, as he called upon those familiar faces.

"Marshall...loving...fun...miss you...buddy..."

"Rocky...caring...smart...miss you...friend..."

"Skye...kind...amazing...love you...mate..."

Chase looked out of his window, and watched as packs of clouds traveled across the sky. Every cloud was different, and unique. Their journey together was silent, but it was a language that they all spoke. They were companions, and they couldn't picture life being any different.

On the other side of the sky, all by itself, a lofty thunderhead loomed in the distance. It appeared ominous, and powerful, showering its reign over the world...but what if, that cloud wanted nothing more than to be with the rest? It had been with them before, but it was pushed away...rejected, because of who it was. In spite of its treatment, its anger swelled and boiled, and it rose to great heights. Yet high, as it stood, in its dominion, never had it been more lonely. If it tried to come closer, its mighty winds would push the other clouds away. No matter how hard it tried, its legacy was more powerful than its intentions. This cloud...was Chase.

As he watched the sky, and the solitary storm cloud, he sniffled and wiped his bloodshot eyes. Chase allowed his eyelids to seal the bottomless pits of his anguish, and let himself fall onto his bed. Feeling the welcome of sleep, the only thing in his life that was happy to see him, the Shepherd couldn't help but think...

 _"Will things ever be the same?"_


	21. Love

**Wow, it's been a while! Hey guys, how 'ya doing? XD I've been getting ready for school, and a bunch of other crazy things came up, but I wanted to make sure that I gave you all something memorable before I go back. So surprise! Insanely long chapter! Now, just because I go back to school, doesn't mean that I won't be working on the story. Progress will be slower though, just because of the whole "no free time" thing that often coincides with school. But in case it takes me a long time to put together another chapter, I just wanted to say that it has been an incredible journey writing this story for you! I am absolutely floored by all of the amazing support I've received, and by just how many people I've been able to reach :-D I've got more to say, so I'll catch you at the end :-) Please, enjoy!**

* * *

 _Several hours later..._

"Come on, Marshall! We have to practice for the Talent Show tomorrow!"

A slightly frustrated Skye was trying to pry her mate out of his pup house.

"B-but, I'm scared! I don't want anyone to watch!"

The Dalmatian braced his paws in the frame of the door, as Skye continued to pull.

"Oh, you're just being silly! It's not like we're performing on stage right now; it's just a rehearsal."

She licked his nose, and the affectionate gesture caused him to lose his grip. Marshall's paws slipped from the door, and the two pups were catapulted onto the grass, with Marshall landing on top of her.

"Heheheh, sorry about that, Skye. I wasn't expecting the lick, so I kind of slipped." The fire pup blushed at the situation, but Skye didn't seem to care. Focused on being embarrassed, Marshall didn't notice the wry grin that Skye wore on her face.

Without warning, she jumped up and pushed him, sending Marshall flat onto his back. She quickly ran over, and stood over the top of him, triumphant. The spotted pup was completely stunned.

"Wh-what was that for? What are you gonna do to me?" Skye continued to smile as she lowered her head to his belly, and began to lick it. Marshall's eyes went wide, and he squirmed violently as her tongue tickled him.

"Ahhhh! What are you doing!? Oh, it tickles so much! Heheheh, not the belly! Ghaaahhh!" Paws flailed, and he flung his head left and right, trying to dislodge his assailant. Skye stopped briefly, and giggled as Marshall panted.

"So are we going to practice now?"

The Dalmatian was too busy catching his breath to respond. Skye shrugged her shoulders, and rubbed his belly with her paw.

"Well, I mean, if you really like being tickled, I suppose I could go another round..."

Marshall jumped up, rolling Skye off of him. This time, it was _his_ turn for persuasion.

"Well, maybe we can save the tickling for later tonight..."

Skye cocked her head, and this made him smirk.

"Oh, you don't remember. Well, as I recall, a certain someone told a certain Dalmatian that he would be handsomely rewarded if he went along with being in the Talent Show..."

He walked up to Skye, and whispered into her ear.

 _"...And he hasn't received his prize..."_

Marshall backed away, leaving her to piece the puzzle together.

"Oh, and for the record, I _do_ like being tickled...a lot..."

Skye quickly realized his intentions, and laughed when his smile grew.

"...You're gonna hold me to that, aren't you?"

"Well, it _was_ a promise, and if you hold out much longer, I might have to start charging interest..."

Skye whacked him on the nose, receiving a yelp from her mate.

"God, Marsh, you're such a dirty little pup!"

Knowing what she meant, he decided to joke with her.

"Wait, you're not saying that because of my spots, are you?"

She nuzzled him in the chest, and looked into his eyes.

 _"Well, what do you think?..."_

Her words were light, but provocative. They brushed against Marshall's ears like a feather, and they sent shivers down his spine.

Marshall giggled as Skye backed away, making her giggle too.

"Are you _actually_ self-conscious about your spots?"

"Nope! _I_ _like being, dirty_."

"Oh, grow up, you filthy marshmallow!"

He rubbed up against her as she scolded him.

"But you like me that way."

She kissed his forehead, giggling.

"Well, I can't argue with that!"

They ended their affectionate moment, and Skye's focus redirected back to the Talent Show.

"Well, Marsh, it's time to practice! Let's head inside, and we can set up in the TV room."

"Well, Skye, if it means I get my reward..."

"Well, Marsh, if you love me, you'll do it anyways."

He had nothing to challenge that, so he slumped his head in pretend disappointment. Skye urged him along, waving her paw in the direction of the Lookout.

"Lead the way, dirty."

He began to make his way over to the doors, and Skye followed closely behind him. But no sooner did Marshall start walking, did he feel a swat on his rear. He immediately reached back to protect it from further assault, and turned around to face Skye.

"Did you enjoy that? Was that fun?"

He received a silent nod from his mate, face beaming with satisfaction. Marshall laughed at the change of pace.

"Man, and I thought _I_ was dirty? Well, looks like my butt has an admirer. I'll remember that."

The two pups continued walking towards the Lookout doors, and Marshall took extra care to sway his hips as he walked, swishing his tail gently. He could almoist feel Skye's gaze pierce his rear as she happily trotted behind him.

* * *

"Okay, guys, that should be everything that you need!"

Rocky finished rigging the last microphone set, and plugged the remaining cords into various pieces of sound equipment. He handed Skye an earpiece with a microphone boom, because she would be playing her keyboard and singing. Marshall's mic was a typical stand-style set, and he nervously walked over to stand behind it. Rocky looked at Skye, adjusted a knob on the speaker, and looked at her again.

"Hey, Skye, hit a couple keys for me so I can tweak the sound."

She played a quick scale, and a few adjustments later, Rocky stood up.

"Awesome! Marshall, give your mic a test!"

The Dalmatian awkwardly tapped the microphone with his paw, and gulped.

"Uh, testing, 1, 2, 3, is this thing on?"

Rocky looked over at him, and gave a thumbs up.

"Okay, Marshall, you're good to go! Give it a test, Skye!"

The Cockapoo cleared her throat, and adjusted the boom.

*yip yip* Hello, Adventure Bay! I hope you're ready for a show!"

She hit a quick riff on her keyboard, and giggled while performing a backflip. Marshall watched her with unease; she was so comfortable, and yet here he was: a quivering pile of pup, scared out of his mind.

Rocky fist-pumped as he twisted one more knob.

"Yes! Everything works! Hey, would you guys mind if I watched you rehearse? After all, I'm already here!"

Skye looked over at her mate, who was literally shaking with fear. He looked over at the recycling pup, who smiled warmly. Marshall sighed, and walked over to his brother. He spoke quietly, so Skye wouldn't be able to hear them.

"I want you to promise that you won't laugh, or chuckle, or giggle, or look at me, or-" Rocky silenced him with a friendly paw on his shoulder.

"You won't even know I'm there."

Marshall smiled, and hugged him.

"Thanks, Rocky, it means a lot."

He smiled once more at the gray pup before taking his place behind the microphone. Rocky grabbed his PupPod and swiped over the screen a couple of times. He plugged it into the speaker, and adjusted the settings so that it also played music through Skye's earpiece.

"Okay, guys, whenever you're ready!"

Marshall and Skye turned to receive approval from each other, and once the agreement was made, Marshall gave the word.

"Hit it, Rocky!"

The recycling pup pressed "Play", and went to sit on one of the beanbags. He kept his focus, as promised, on Skye, and never once looked at Marshall. This allowed the Dalmatian to come out of his shell a bit, and he sang almost as freely as he did at the hospital. Skye encouraged him by playing the melody, and he smiled as he took the first verse.

 _"I remember what you wore on the first day_

 _You came into my life and I thought hey_

 _You know, this could be something_

 _'Cause everything you do and words you say_

 _You know that it all takes my breath away_

 _And now I'm left with nothing"_

Skye switched to playing a basic line, as she joined the joyful fire pup in song.

 _"So maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you_

 _And maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _But there's so much ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me coming undone_

 _And I'm thinking two, is better than one"_

Skye filled the room with beautiful chords as the two pups switched off.

(Skye)

 _"I remember every look upon your face"_

(Marshall)

 _"The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste_

 _You make it hard for breathin' "_

Their voices gently eased back together.

 _" 'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away_

 _I think of you and everything's okay_

 _I'm finally now believing"_

When Marshall and Skye belted out the refrain, Rocky was blown away by all of the beautiful sounds coming togehter. Marshall was so happy that there was no one to judge him, and he allowed himself to become immersed in the music.

 _"That maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you_

 _And maybe two-o-o is better than one_

 _But there's so much ti-i-" *SCREEEEEECH!*_

Marshall was moving and swinging his head so much, that he knocked his microphone to the ground, blasting everyone's ears with a horrible sound.

"Ahhhhh! Loud noise!"

The poor Dalmatian jumped several feet in the air, and returned to Earth a quivering, petrified pup. After recovering from their own pain, Rocky ran over and pulled the plug, and Skye tried to comfort her crying mate.

"It's okay, Marshall. It was just a loud noise...Just calm down, and breathe. I'm here for you."

She touched his head with care; her strokes were kind, and gentle. Rocky walked over to offer his own comfort.

"Hey, Marsh, you're alright. The microphone just scared you, that's all. I unplugged it now, so it won't make any more noise, okay?"

The recycling pup rested a paw on his brother's shoulder; shortly thereafter, Marshall lifted his paws from his eyes. He looked up at his friends with appreciative eyes.

"Th-thanks, guys. Guess I got a little carried away."

All three pups shared a laugh, and Rocky walked back over to the sound equipment.

"Were you still going to practice some more?"

Skye looked over at Marshall, who smiled sheepishly at her. She nodded her head, returning the smile.

"You know what, Rocks? I think we've practiced enough for today. What do you think, Marshall?"

The fire pup nodded, throwing a goofy grin her way. Rocky turned to begin disassembling the setup, but did a double-take when his brain caught up.

"Skye, did you just call me, 'Rocks'?"

The Cockapoo giggled, seeing the gray pup's cheeks burning with embarrassment.

"Well, I thought we could all have nicknames for each other, like 'Marsh'. What's the matter? You don't like it?"

Rocky could sense the sarcasm in her voice, and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, maybe not from you, but I wouldn't mind it if Marsh called me that."

He grinned at the Dalmatian, who shifted his eyes between the two pups.

"Hey, Rocks, wanna go get some food? All of this rehearsing has made me _really_ hungry!"

Marshall and Rocky laughed obnoxiously, stealing glances at an irritated Skye. She followed them outside as they looked for Ryder, but they had difficulty finding him.

"The last time I saw him is when he called you out to talk to you," Marshall pondered out loud. Skye looked over at Rocky, but he shook his head.

"I don't have any idea where he would be; I was off printing our pictures. Oh, wait, that reminds me, don't let me forget to give you guys a copy of them after dinner!"

Marshall and Skye nodded as they continued around the perimeter of the Lookout. They did a complete loop outside, but still no sign of Ryder.

"Maybe he's still inside," Skye suggested. "He walked off somewhere after he talked to me."

Hungry Marshall took the lead as they made their way back inside. He called out for their owner.

"Ryder, where are you? I'm a hungry pup, and I really want some dinner!"

The Dalmatian sprinted around the Lookout, looking for any sign of Ryder. As he turned the corner to the main hallway, he ran head-first into an unsuspecting Ryder.

"Whoa! Easy, Marshall! What's got you in such a hurry?"

Marshall tilted his head to the side cutely, fidgeting with his paws.

"Well, you see, I was getting kind of hungry, so I was trying to find you so you could make dinner, and well, now I found you."

He slowly looked up at Ryder as he finished, throwing on his best puppy eyes. Ryder laughed, and bent down to ruffle his head.

"Okay, Marshall, you win! How can I say no to those puppy eyes?"

Marshall giggled, smiling when he spoke.

"Well, you can't, really. We both know that."

Ryder smirked at his pup's honest remark.

"How can I be a good leader if my fire pup takes advantage of me?"

The Dalmatian's smile grew.

"Well, I guess you can't."

Ryder rolled his eyes, and scratched Marshall's ear before standing up.

"Alright, that's enough pup sass out of you, goofball. How about we get that food now? Maybe I'll even ask Zuma if he wants to help out again."

Marshall's eyes lit up, and without warning, he sprinted off to get the other pups.

"Rocky! Skye! I found Ryder, and I bribed him to make us dinner! And Zuma's gonna help!"

Ryder chuckled, and turned the corner to head outside after his pups.

* * *

 _Early the next morning..._

"Ruff ruff, firetruck."

Marshall stood outside of his pup house, looking around to make sure that he didn't wake anyone. In a few seconds, his firetruck had finished transforming, and he tossed a small object into the other seat before hopping in. Cautiously, the Dalmatian started the engine, looked behind him, and quietly made his way into town.

Several minutes later, Marshall had arrived at his destination. He reached over, and grabbed the small red satchel next to him. He had asked Rocky to construct it for him, and the recycling pup was more than happy to make it once he found out Marshall's intentions. The fire pup lifted the strap over his head, and shifted it so the bag hung at his side. Coins clinked around as he jumped out, and Marshall made his way into the flower shop.

The very moment that his nose cleared the door, Marshall was greeted by the smell of a thousand plants and flowers. He inhaled deeply, and smiled as he approached the counter.

"Excuse me, would you be able to help me with something?"

A young woman with brown hair looked down at him, and smiled happily.

"Oh, hey, what can I do for you, Marshall?"

"Um, well, I'm looking to get a flower for someone really special to me, someone who means the world to me."

"Ahh! Who's the lucky pup?" she asked him.

"Well, it's, uh, she's, uh-" The Dalmatian was fumbling with his own words, and the woman giggled.

"Right this way, Marshall!"

She led him to a display with many different varieties of single potted flowers. Since Marshall was having difficulty talking, she selected at one flower at a time, letting him say yes or no. The first one that she picked was a snowy white, and had a light, crisp fragrance. She was well aware that there were only two likely candidates, and she picked flowers based on her assumption.

Marshall shook his head at the first flower, sneezing as she drew it away from his nose. She laughed lightly, and grabbed another flower from the display. When she lowered it down to him, and he smelled the flower, he couldn't help but smile. It was floral, yet refreshing. It also had a certain warmth to it, one that made him feel, comfortable. When she pulled it away, Marshall could see the full beauty of the flower.

The stem was a vivid green, and full of life. The petals were a lovely magenta, and almost seemed to smile back at him. The florist caught his gaze, and interrupted his thoughts.

"This the one you want, Marshall?"

He nodded happily, and she smirked as they made their way back to the counter.

"So, this one's for Skye, eh?"

The Dalmatian became a stuttering fool once the Cockapoo's name was mentioned.

"Well, uh, it's, uh, she's, umm-"

The woman grinned, setting the pot down on the counter.

"Oh, Marshall, you don't have to answer; I'm just giving you a hard time!"

The florist pulled out the bar code scanner from below the counter, and rung up the flower on the display.

"But between you and me, you have an excellent taste in flowers."

Marshall merely nodded as he reached for his satchel.

"Aww, that satchel is really cute! You have an excellent taste in fashion, too! Where did you get it?"

Marshall was finally able to untie his tongue, but not without his cheeks beginning to smolder.

"Rocky made it for me. I just told him not to make it look silly, because I would be wearing it out in public." He looked at the bag, and he smiled a little.

"Heh, I guess I do look good in it!"

The two shared a laugh before Marshall reached inside it.

"How much does the flower cost?"

The florist giggled at his adorable politeness.

"Oh, you don't need to pay for the flower! You and the PAW Patrol do more than enough to pay for it. And plus, the flower is for someone special, so I wouldn't have charged you for it anyways!"

Marshall's cheeks continued to glow as her generosity played games with his pride.

"Wow, thanks! I really hope she likes it."

The woman smiled as she placed the pot into a bag.

"Coming from a pup as kind and sweet as you, I'm sure she'll love it!"

She reached down and placed the handles of the bag in Marshall's mouth.

"Take care, Marshall!"

He smiled and nodded his head, gripping the precious cargo in his teeth. Marshall waved goodbye, and exited the shop.

Once outside, he placed the bag into the passenger seat, and hurriedly started his firetruck. Without a second thought, Marshall raced back to the Lookout, eager to present Skye with his gift.

* * *

When he pulled up to the top of the Lookout drive, Skye was right there, anxiously pacing back and forth. Skye saw his firetruck, and she yipped with glee. Marshall cut the engine, and reached over to grab the bag. Skye helped him down, and once he set the bag down, she nuzzled him affectionately.

"So, where was my brave fire pup off to this morning? You don't usually wake up early...what's going on?"

The Dalmatian snickered as he tapped his pup tag.

"Hey, Rocky, I'm here now. Bring your pup pack outside."

The Cockapoo was confused at the slightly strange request.

"Marsh, what's going on? Is something wrong?"

She looked down in front of her, and saw the shadow of an object through the opaque paper bag. Now even more confused, she decided to wait until Rocky came outside to ask any more questions. And it didn't take long before the recycling pup appeared through the Lookout doors, sporting a rather smug grin. He ambled over to where they were standing, and nodded at Marshall. The fire pup carefully reached into the bag, but before he removed anything, he smirked.

"Skye, close your eyes."

She sighed, and did as she was told. Marshall pulled the pot containing the beautiful flower out, setting it down in front of Skye. He nodded to Rocky, and the gray pup's pincer arm swung out from his pup pack. He secured the pincer's grip firmly on the pot, and Marshall ever-so-gently gripped the flower with his teeth. Rocky lifted the pot up off the ground, and Marshall moved his head to stay positioned on the flower. Marshall gave the signal, and Rocky began to slowly bring his pincer arm and the pot closer to the ground. Marshall stayed put, not moving at all to reduce the chances of damaging the flower. The stem was nestled safely in between his teeth, and Rocky wiggled the pot back and forth, loosening the dirt around it. Skye began to grow impatient.

"Come on, guys! What could you be doing that would take so long? And why do I need to be here? And why do my eyes have to be closed? And why does R-"

Marshall giggled, and there was a slight sound of dirt hitting the ground. Marshall smiled, and gave a muffled response due to the flower in his mouth.

"Okay, Skye, you can open your eyes."

"Marshall, why do you sound all muf-"

She opened her eyes, and audibly gasped at what was in front of her. There stood her fire pup, tall and proud, holding a stunning magenta flower in his mouth. He nodded at her, indicating that it was for her. She put a paw to her mouth in disbelief, and began to cry.

"M-Marshall...it's, beautiful!"

He smiled, and opened his arms. She charged into his embrace, and he "oof"ed with the amount of force that she hit his chest with.

"I love you so much, Marshall! It's, it's..."

She brought her head from his chest so she could see his face, and her flower. He gently moved her head, and reached to place the stem behind her ear, allowing the petals to stick out in front. She laughed out of pure joy, and ran over to her water bowl to look at her reflection. When she saw how the fantastically bright flower made her eyes glow with radiance, she allowed a tear to slip down her nose and drop into the bowl, breaking the watery image. When the disturbance subsided, she could see a happy Dalmatian alongside her. She looked up, and received a passionate kiss from her mate.

"What do you think? Is it pink enough?"

Skye was overjoyed, and at a near complete loss for words.

"I-I, I, Marshall, I..."

The fire pup's smile began to melt.

"Oh man, it's too pink, isn't it? Damn it, I should've picked the white flower instead. I'm sorry, Skye, I thought that because pink is your color, that you would like it...That was pretty stupid of me...I'll get you something better."

He turned to get back into his firetruck, but Skye jumped in front of him, tail wagging.

"Marshall, I, I think that it's the most beautiful flower I've ever seen. I love it!"

She lovingly nibbled his ear, and rubbed his side to calm him.

"But most of all, I love you."

The sad Dalmatian turned to face his mate. His bright blue eyes were shimmering in confusion, and his emotions were all over the place. But Skye's soothing affection eventually broke through his sadness.

"Heheheh, Skye, that tickles!"

She switched gears, now seeing a bit of the Dalmatian that she loved shining through. The Cockapoo smiled as she playfully continued to nibble his ear, making Marshall twitch and giggle.

"Heh, is my little marshmallow feeling better now? Wait, that's funny...I don't think marshmallows are supposed to be ticklish, or have adorable floppy ears, or have ticklish, floppy, _and_ adorable ears!"

Marshall was on his back now, giggling incessantly as his ear became a snack for the Cockapoo. After several minutes of squirming, she allowed the fire pup to stand.

*pant* Was that really necessary?"

"Nope. I just really like tickling you."

"Well, I guess this could be considered as the interest on your payment then..."

From a couple feet away, a disgusted choking sound could be heard.

"Oh, hey Rocky! You okay, buddy? Sounds like you have something in your throat."

Marshall smirked at the mix, and was met with a pair of rolling eyes.

"Yeah, Marshall, you know what?...*sigh* It's not even worth my time. You're immature, and I've accepted that."

Rocky retaliated with a smirk of his own, and the Dalmatian laughed.

"Yep, that's me!"

The brothers shared a laugh, and Skye nuzzled the Dalmatian as a polite interruption.

"If you don't mind, Marshall, do you want to relax for a while before we have to leave for the Talent Show?"

The fire pup smiled warmly, and licked her nose.

"I would love to. Hey Rocks, wanna rest with us?"

The recycling pup grimaced a little, but followed it with a hesitant smile.

"Well, as long as there isn't any funny business with you and Skye..."

Marshall giggled and threw a paw over Rocky's shoulder.

"No worries, bud! We'll keep everything squeaky clean, just for you!"

"So you're saying that if I wasn't here..."

Marshall ignored Rocky's inquisition, and moved to be at Skye's side. Rocky sighed, and followed behind them into the Lookout, mumbling something about maturity.

 _'Well, at least the Talent Show's today; that should keep him focused, and not thinking about what he and Skye might be doing afterwards...'_

* * *

 _Several Hours Later, in the early afternoon..._

"All right, everyone! Let's hear it for Mr. Porter's three pie pile-up!"

Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered, and Zuma finished licking the rest of the pie from his nose. He was seated with Rubble, Rocky, and Ryder, but Chase didn't want to come, for obvious reasons.

Mayor Goodway quieted the clapping, and continued speaking.

"Okay, and next up, we have a very special act from Adventure Bay's own PAW Patrol!"

More applause and whistles were heard, but the Mayor quickly lowered her hand.

"These pups will be performing a musical duet together to the song, 'Two Is Better Than One'...please give a warm welcome to Marshall and Skye!"

Mayor Goodway clapped with everyone else as she backed off stage, allowing the stagehands to finish setting up the sound equipment. Shortly after, Marshall and Skye walked out onto the stage. Marshall adjusted his microphone, and wrapped his paw around the stand this time so he wouldn't accidentally knock it over. He looked over at his mate, who was doing a quick sound check on her keyboard before she met his eyes. The Dalmatian looked towards the off-stage, and pointed his paw to the sound director.

"HIT IT!"

Not a moment later, a warm guitar began strumming in the background. Marshall swallowed his fear, and sang the words directly to Skye.

 _"I remember what you wore on the first day_

 _You came into my life and I thought hey_

 _You know, this could_ be _something_

 _'Cause everything you do and words you say_

 _You know that it all takes my breath away_

 _And now I'm left with nothing"_

Skye smiled back at him, and played the harmony effortlessly as she joined the Dalmatian.

 _"So maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you_

 _And maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _But there's so much ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me coming undone_

 _And I'm thinking two, is better than one"_

Little cheers and "woohoo"s could be heard from the crowd as the song eased back. Marshall felt his confidence growing, and he was beginning to feed of off the crowd's energy. Puffing out his chest a little, he pulled the mic off of the stand, and walked over to Skye. He rested his head on hers, and she sang sweetly as he rubbed against her.

 _"I remember every look upon your face"_

Now it was Skye's turn to nuzzle him as he finished her sentence.

 _"The way you roll your eyes, the way you taste_

 _You make it hard for breathin' "_

The two mates leaned on each other as their voices became one.

 _" 'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away_

 _I think of you and everything's okay_

 _I'm finally now believing"_

Chords flowed gracefully from Skye's keyboard, and the Dalmatian was overtaken with love. It poured out from his heart and soul, and into his voice. The Cockapoo smiled once more, and followed his lead.

 _"That maybe it's tru-u-ue that I can't live without you_

 _Maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _But there's so much ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me coming undone_

 _And I'm thinking two is better than one"_

Skye stole the entire stage by holding the final note with unprecedented power. People and pups were on their feet, cheering loudly as the two mates felt the embrace of each other's voice. Marshall looked down at the front row, and saw his brother smiling at him. Rocky threw him a 'thumb's up", and it made the Dalmatian smile back. With confidence surging through his sapphire eyes, he quietly followed Skye up with a mellow, yet passionate phrase.

 _"I remember what you wore on the first day_

 _You came into my life, and I thought hey..."_

The whole of Adventure Bay shook with the power of their love. In that moment they truly became one.

 _"Maybe it's tru-u-ue, that I can't live without you_

 _And maybe two-o-o, is better than one_

 _But there's so much ti-i-i-me to figure out the rest of my life_

 _And you've already got me comin' undone-"_

(Just Marshall)

 _"And I'm thinkin'-"_

(Marshall and Skye)

 _"Oo-oo-ooh, I can't live without you_

 _'Cause, baby, two-o-o, is better than one_

 _There's so much ti-i-i-me_

 _To figure out the rest of my life_

 _But I'll figure it out with all that's said and done..."_

Marshall brought his face close to Skye's, and she moved close to his. Their eyes glimmered as they each sang the last line.

(Marshall)

 _"Two, is better than one..."_

(Skye)

 _"Two, is better than one..."_

As his mate finished, Marshall set his microphone down, and kissed her.

"I love you, Skye. You did great!"

"I love you too, Marshall. You were awesome!"

The applause was overwhelming, and the two pups received a standing ovation for their performance. Mayor Goodway emerged from backstage, sporting a large trophy. Once the crowd saw it, the cheering grew even louder, and Marshall nearly started crying. The Mayor walked across the stage, and stood between Marshall and Skye, raising her microphone to speak.

"Ladies and gentleman, these two pups have taken their love and compassion for each other, and turned it into something beautiful! It is my honor to declare them as the first place act of the Talent Show! Congratulations!"

The crowd's approval was unending, and the Mayor set the trophy down between them. She grabbed Marshall and Skye's paws, and lifted them up in celebration. An uproar of cheers ensued as the two mates walked off the stage together, feeling absolutely incredible. Mayor Goodway carried the trophy behind them, and stood to the side as their friends piled around. Rocky was the first to step up.

"Wow, that was an amazing performance, guys! I'm so proud of you for working past your fear, Marshall!" The mix nuzzled his brother lovingly, and the Dalmatian giggled. Rocky backed away, and Zuma bounded up behind him, smiling goofily.

"Hey, congwats, dudes! That was so adowable! You'we like two peas in a pod!"

The Chocolate Lab high-pawed Marshall, and gave Skye a quick pat on the back before Rubble pushed his way through.

"Hey, Marshall! You guys did a great job up there! Your voices sound even better when they're together!"

From behind the group of pups emerged an overjoyed Ryder. He picked Marshall and Skye up, and twirled them around in celebration.

"Oh, you were such good pups! That was incredible! I'm so proud of you two!"

He set the two pups down, and out of nowhere, Zuma reappeared after running off.

"Hey, I heard Mr. Porter's got some extwa pies left over fwom his act, and he said that we can help ouwselves! Follow me, dudes!"

Not giving it a second thought, Marshall leapt up and sprinted after the Chocolate Lab, licking his lips in the process. Skye giggled at his behavior, and she followed the rest of the pups to the table where the pies were laid out.

The Cockapoo took a seat next to her mate, who was already in the process of attacking a pie bigger than his entire head. She laughed, and grabbed herself a regular cream pie. She looked over once more at the fire pup, who was practically inhaling his own pie.

Grinning evilly, she carefully placed her paw on the edge of his pie tin. Marshall didn't seem to notice, which made things a lot easier for her. Without warning, Skye slammed her paw down, catapulting the rest of the Dalmatian's pie into his face. There was a moment of pure silence, as he attempted to register what had just happened to him. In the meantime, Skye was laughing away, drawing her amusement from Marshall's completely blank expression. But just as soon as his brain caught up, he reached over and flipped Skye's pie into her face, instantly muting her laughter.

The Dalmatian was in hysterics, hardly able to see as cream slowly melted down his face. But he didn't need to see her to know how shocked she was. His laughter slowly drew her out of her trance, and she began to laugh with him.

After several minutes of pointing and teasing, Skye removed a piece of crust from her nose, and wiped her eyes.

"I'll be right back, Marsh. I just wanna wash the pie off of my face."

The fire pup hesitated slightly, but still managed to respond before she walked away.

"Wait, Skye...How about I clean your face?"

The Cockapoo shrugged her shoulders, and smiled.

"Okay, if you want to, I'll let you!"

She grabbed a nearby napkin and handed it to him, but Marshall chuckled.

"No, silly! I meant clean your face, with my tongue."

Skye giggled, and hopped up on his lap.

"Heh, now you'll get some more pie, and clean me up at the same time!"

The Dalmatian smirked at his mate, and giggled.

"Hmm...now where do I start?"

He began to lick her nose gently, and moved across her muzzle, whiskers, cheeks, forehead, and the tips of her ears. When he was all done, her face was damp, but cleaned of all pie. She laughed and looked at Marshalll's face, noticing the trails of melted cream that covered it.

"Heheheh, now it's my turn."

Skye stood up on her hind legs, and put her front paws on Marshall's chest, giving her easy access to his face. Her tongue didn't miss a single spot, and in a matter of minutes, Marshall was pie-free as well. He giggled and kissed her, before noticing that the other pups were getting ready to head back to the Lookout.

Marshall looked at the chair that was next to him, nearly forgetting about the trophy that was sitting on it.

"Hey, Skye, do you think I should maybe take the trophy back, because there isn't a whole lotta space in your copter?"

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Wouldn't want anything to happen to our trophy!"

Skye leaned over and kissed him once more, before the Dalmatian stood up and hopped off of his chair.

"I'll see you back at the Lookout!"

He grabbed one of the trophy's handles with his teeth, and began to drag it back to his firetruck. He only made it a few feet before Rocky happened to notice him.

"Hey Marshall, you want some help with that?"

The fire pup let go of the handle, and spat the taste of metal out of his mouth.

"Yeah, that would help a ton! Trophies don't taste very good."

The recycling pup chuckled, and looked at his pup pack.

"Wruff, pincer!"

His pincer arm unfolded from his pack, and he effortlessly hoisted the trophy over his head. Marshall followed him to his firetruck, where Rocky set it gently in the passenger seat.

"There 'ya go, Marsh! *pant* That was heavier than I thought it would be!"

Marshall laughed, and hopped up into his truck.

"Thanks Rocks! I'll see you back home!"

And with that, the fire pup waved goodbye, and began to drive back to the Lookout. Rocky and Skye quickly hopped in their vehicles, and followed Rubble, Zuma, and Ryder back home.

* * *

Once everyone arrived, Ryder hopped off of his ATV, and quickly called the pups over. Again, Chase did not show up, but that was more or less expected.

"You were all super good pups, today! Marshall and Skye, you were incredible at the Talent Show! I think you pups all deserve a break, so go have fun! I have a few things that I need to do, so stay out of trouble, okay?"

The pups all nodded, and Ryder smiled at them, before turning to enter the Lookout. The instant that he did, both Rubble and Zuma let out a huge yawn.

"Oh man, I suwe am beat! I think I'm gonna go catch some z's befowe dinner! Heheh, how about you, Wubble?"

The construction pup nodded, yawning again.

"Yep, that sounds like a great idea! See you guys *yawn* later!"

Zuma laughed at the sleepy Bulldog, and they both stumbled over to their respective pup houses, leaving Rocky, Marshall, and Skye as a group.

After a moment, Rocky's eyes lit up.

"Be right back!"

He hopped into the back of his recycling truck, and grabbed a small device. He bounded over to Marshall's firetruck, where the Dalmatian and Skye were waiting for him.

"Hey guys, guess what?"

Marshall and Skye looked at one another, and back at their friend.

"What?" they asked in unison.

He smiled, and pulled a camera from behind his back.

"As you guys performed, I hooked up a Pupcorder, and recorded the entire thing, So now, you can watch it on the TV in the Lookout whenever you want!"

Rocky handed the camera to Marshall, and the fire pup tackled him to the ground.

"Oof! Easy, buddy! You don't want to break me, or the camera!"

But Marshall was overjoyed at the gift he was given, so he showed his appreciation by smothering Rocky's face with puppy licks.

"Ahh! No! Now I'm getting wet, and tickled at the same time! Hoo hoo, not the nose! Skye, a little help, please!?"

The Cockapoo smirked, and gave Marshall a poke in his side. The Dalmatian squealed, and awkwardly fell down, allowing the mix a chance to stand. He towered over his brother, as Skye continued to poke him lightly, eliciting a squeak every time she did so.

"Okay, Skye, that's enough!" the recycling pup laughed.

Reluctantly, she ceased her little game, and her mate stood up slowly.

"Man, you always have to go for the tickle spot, don't you?"

Skye laughed, and nuzzled him lightly.

"Marshall, your entire body is a tickle spot! And don't pretend that you don't like it, either!"

He smirked, reaching to pick up the camera.

"Yeah, okay...'ya got me again!"

After another round of laughs, the mix's eyes lit up once more.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

He reached into his pup pack, and extracted the pictures that he took of them when they were all wearing each other's hats.

"Wow, Rocks; you're pretty good at taking pictures!"

The fire pup raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Skye nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, these turned out great!"

Rocky smiled, blushing slightly at the attention that he was receiving.

"I'm glad you like them, guys. You each have copies, so you can keep them in your pup house, or wherever you want! That's where I'm putting mine!"

"Awesome! Thanks again, Rocky!"

Both Marshall and Skye went to their pup houses to put their pictures on display, and Rocky decided to do the same.

Skye was the first pup to finish placing her pictures; she had a bit of a knack for interior decorating. So she patiently waited for her friend and her mate to finish with theirs. The Cockapoo casually leaned down to take a drink from her water bowl, but little did she know, Skye was being watched.

* * *

A docile Shepherd kept quietly to himself in his pup house, avoiding the world, and all those who despised him. He didn't feel angry anymore; his rage had been replaced by something else, something that perhaps hurt even worse. Loneliness.

Chase's past actions had all but chased away those that he loved and cared about. With no one left to hate or resent, his thoughts instead began to take a more reproachful turn.

The police pup wanted nothing more than to have his old life back. There would be no more sadness, no more pain, and no more loneliness. Right now, he was merely existing without purpose.

He heard various sounds coming from outside his pup house: laughter, squeals, silence...and the sound of a tongue lapping water. Sighing, he cracked his door open, and poked his face out to locate the origin of the sound. Nowadays, with so little happening to him: no rescues, no pups to talk to, nobody to play with, that it didn't take much to spark the Shepherd's curiosity.

Chase turned to look up and down the row of pup houses, and there, he spotted Skye, happily drinking water from her bowl. He sighed once more, taking in all of her beauty and splendor. It was hard for him to believe that she used to be his, once upon a time. But that time had passed, and it left him feeling so alone.

It was time for a change.

Chase slowly walked over to Skye, and cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked up, and once she saw who it was, she went right back to her water. Chase expected this, so he decided to talk anyways.

"Skye do you remember the days where we would sit underneath the big tree, and we would do nothing more than snuggle?...Do you remember the time that we chased each other around in the woods, and ended up wearing ourselves out so much, that we flopped on the Lookout drive and fell asleep together?"

No response.

"Do you ever think about those times, and wish that things could be like they were back then?...Skye...I don't want to be the bad guy anymore. I'm done with hurting everybody, and I wish that I could just go back and make things right. I'm not a monster *sniff* ...I just need someone to love..."

The Shepherd wiped a tear from his eye, and as he sniffled once more, Skye turned to face him.

"Chase...You're well aware that you have damaged everyone her beyond repair, so why do you keep coming back and asking for forgiveness?"

"I-I-ju-...I just need someone to love...I'm so lonely...without you...without Rocky...without Marshall...I feel like an empty bag, that has nothing left, and just keeps getting blown away. Nobody cares about it, and they just let it go without a second thought. Please, Skye...give me a chance. You know that I can be a better pup...a better mate..."

Chase was on his knees now, grabbing onto her leg in complete desperation for something, anything to hold on to. The Cockapoo was becoming agitated now, and she tried to shake him off of her leg.

"No, Chase. I can't be mates with someone who tries to kill their best friend. Marshall needs me now, because of what you've done to him. I love that pup with all my heart, and there is nothing that will ever change that."

She tried once more to free herself from the Shepherd's sorrow, but he just grabbed her leg even tighter. Skye was feeling a little scared as his iron paws locked around her leg; the force of his grip was beginning to hurt her.

"Chase, let go of my leg! You're hurting me!"

But the police pup didn't listen.

Moments later, a certain Dalmatian emerged from his pup house.

"Hey Skye, do you have any tape I could bo-"

The scene that stood before him was unbelievable. Skye saw him, and called for his help.

"Marshall, help me! Chase won't let go of my leg!"

The Dalmatian gritted his teeth, and clenched his jaw tightly. He marched right over to the Shepherd and yanked his paws off of her leg. Shoving him to the ground, placing his paws firmly on Chase's chest, Marshall exploded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Why were you grabbing her leg?! She told you to get off of her, but you didn't!"

The Shepherd was whimpering as tears streaked his face.

"I just need someone to love, someone to love me..."

The fire pup nearly choked on the absurdity of the statement. Standing up once again, the two pups duked it out.

"Well you certainly aren't gonna get love like that! What were you thinking?!"

"I want forgiveness...I want her love again...I want your love again..."

"You can't make either of us love you by going out and begging! Me and Skye are mates, and we keep each other safe no matter what. You were my closest friend...and you tried to kill me! How do you expect to be forgiven for THAT?!"

"I-I'm a changed pup now...I won't make the same mistakes...I won't be stupid..."

"And what are you doing right now? You're hurting the very pup that you care about _soooo_ much! If you want ANY chance of being forgiven, you'll have to accept that fact that me and Skye are together.

The broken Shepherd clung needily onto his love, and began to draw blood with his claws. Marshall was sent over the edge, and he reacted accordingly.

"Okay, fine! So you won't let go? You don't want to listen? Well, then I'm gonna-"

The Dalmatian furiously tapped his pup tag, calling for Ryder.

"Ryder, it's Marshall. Can you come outside and have a talk with Chase? He's begging Skye to come back to him, and he won't let go of her leg. He's not listening; can you come out and help?"

Not even bothering to wait for a response, he left his pup tag on, and continued to try and get him away from Skye.

"Chase, leave us NOW! BEAT IT!"

The Dalmatian chuckled sadly to himself.

"Heh, you know, this was supposed to be a nice, happy time for me and Skye...Everything was going right...We won "Best Act" at the Talent Show, we got to eat pie, and we were having a great day...You've just ruined everything."

Ryder, who was upstairs in the Lookout, heard the commotion through Marshall's pup tag, and looked through the glass to see what was happening. Marshall took a step towards Chase, ramming his nose into the police pup's face. His eyes were ice cold, and his expression was unforgiving.

Ryder quickly raced into the Elevator, hoping that he could get outside before a fight broke out.

Marshall continued to try and assert himself, tensing his paw pads against the concrete.

"Shepherd, are you deaf?! Get away from MY mate!"

But Chase wouldn't budge.

The Dalmatian growled, and a deafening crunch reverberated through the air. He looked down at his paw, and saw shards of concrete stuck between his claws. Skye gasped at his action, as she saw small trickles of blood began to form on his paw pad, but Marshall didn't care. His anger had all but numbed the pain.

"Look at you; how can you even attempt something like this? Oh, you must think I'm completely ignorant! Let me make something clear; I KNOW that you lied to me! Skye would NEVER do that with you, and then try to be with me! And Skye did NOT manipulate me to love her; if anything, your actions just reinforced her to leave you! Why can't you just accept the fact that Skye and I are together?! You had to go and lie to your best friend, and when that didn't work, YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! Why did you do it, Chase? Was it worth all of the pain? Are you happy with the way things are? Maybe you don't know, or maybe you don't care, but as long as there is blood in my veins, and strength in my bones, you will NEVER hurt her."

Marshall's heart was pounding out of his chest, prepared to do whatever it took to make the Shepherd leave his mate alone. Skye saw the vigor erupt from his eyes, and she was scared of what might ensue. But Marshall wasn't looking for a fight. He thrust his paw in the direction of Chase's pup house, and tried one last time to use words.

"This is your time to leave, Chase. This is your time to leave me, and Skye, and...just GO! NOW!"

Marshall's face was sodden, having angered himself to tears. He closed his eyes, and continued to point his paw. Chase slowly felt himself come back to reality, and what he saw was the exact opposite of what he intended. In front of him, was a bleeding Skye, and a livid Marshall. It was hard for the police pup to even remember what happened, but the Dalmatian made it fairly clear to him that none of that mattered. Feeling completely void of emotion, the ravaged Shepherd felt himself stand. He took one last look at the two pups, but Marshall's attention was already back on Skye. The pups that he once knew and loved had cut him loose. Chase's legs began to carry him...away from everything that he cared about. There wasn't even time to say...

"Goodbye."

After the dust had settled, a "ding" was heard, and Ryder came sprinting out of the Lookout. But the situation had changed drastically from what he had witnessed.

He approached the two pups, seeing Marshall bent over Skye, and an area where the concrete was cracked.

"Marshall, what happened? Where's Chase?"

The Dalmatian moved away, exposing Skye's injured leg.

"Chase wouldn't let go of her, so I tried to get through to him. It worked eventually, but not before he hurt Skye."

Ryder was perplexed by the situation, and he struggled to think of what he should do.

"Have you looked at Skye's injury yet?"

Marshall shook his head, gently lifting her paw for a quick assessment.

"Well, his claws definitely broke the skin, and-"

Ryder gasped when he saw Marshall's paw.

"Marshall, your paw is bleeding!"

The fire pup directed his attention to his own paw for a split second, and shrugged it off.

"I was pretty mad at Chase, and I kind of broke the concrete with my claws. But Skye needs help, not me. Her cuts could be infected, and I don't know how deep they are."

Ryder would've smiled at the Dalmatian's courage, but the situation was too serious.

"Well, if you think you're okay, I trust you. I'm going to go and try to talk to Chase, so if you need anything for Skye, Katie should be around to help."

"Okay, good luck with that, Ryder."

The brown-haired leader nodded, and started over to Chase's pup house. Marshall redirected to Skye's leg, feeling his concerns return.

"Here, let me help you get inside. Can you get on my back? I can carry you then, and get your leg all cleaned up."

Skye smiled, and she slowly swung herself around to crawl onto her mate. She licked his face over his shoulder, and giggled.

"Thanks, Marshall. You're the best!"

"No problem, Skye."

The Dalmatian smiled back, and he made his way through the Lookout Doors. The fire pup carefully let Skye slide off of him, and onto a soft beanbag. He then licked her face, and placed his paw on her head.

"Stay here while I get my medical pup pack, okay?"

Skye giggled, and licked him back.

"No worries; I can't really go anywhere!"

He chuckled lightly, and bounded over to the Elevator to retrieve his pup pack. A few moments later, he emerges, holding a bottle in his mouth, and wearing his pack. He set everything down, and held his paws out like hands.

"Okay, so here's what I'm going to do. First, I'm gonna clean your leg with my tongue, and after that, I'll disinfect it with some peroxide. Then, once it's clean, I'll wrap it up. How does that sound?"

She gave him a trusting smile, and stuck her leg out for him to start working on.

"That sounds perfect, Marshall."

Nodding, he gently placed his tongue on her scratches, and licked away any debris that was in them. After a minute, he reached over to open the bottle, and poured some of the peroxide onto a cotton ball.

"Now, this might sting a little, because it's killing the bacteria in the cuts. You okay with that?"

Skye laughed, and raised her head high into the air.

"I'm a tough pup; it won't hurt me!"

He smirked, and brought the cotton ball over her leg.

"Okay, but try and keep it still while I clean it."

She nodded, and he placed the cool cotton onto her scratches. As tough as Skye said she was, she couldn't help but flinch at the initial rush of pain. It was quick, but it was enough for Marshall to notice.

"Heheh, I told 'ya it would sting. You okay?"

The Cockapoo looked down at the liquid that seeped from the cotton ball, and as it contacted her fur, it began to bubble and fizz.

"Hey, that kind of tickles! Is that supposed to happen?"

He laughed, and re-wet the cotton.

"Yep, that's what it does! The bubbles mean that it's cleaning your scratches."

Marshall placed the ball of cotton on her cuts once more, cleaning around the area.

"There we go! All clean and infection-free! Now, can you lift your leg a little bit?"

Skye did as she was told, and the medic pup brought a bandage wrap around her leg several times, before carefully pinning it in place.

"Well, I'd say that my work is done here! How does it feel?"

"Oh, it feels so much better, Marshall! Thank you!"

She went to stand up and kiss him, but he gently eased her back down, and moved his lips to hers.

"Now, as your personal EMT, I would advise that you stay off of your leg as much as possible, and to get plenty of rest so it can heal."

Skye absolutely loved it when the Dalmatian got all serious; it was so cute to see him in his element, just doing his job. She giggled, and licked his nose.

"Yes, Doctor, I will do my best."

They shared a laugh together, and the medic pup stood over the top of her.

"Oh, and one last thing...This is for tickling me."

He lowered his tongue to Skye's belly, and began to lick her.

"Ahh, Marshall! Ohh, stop that! Hehehe! Ohh, that tickles! Ahhh! Marshall, stop tickling me!" Hahaha!"

Marshall did stop for a brief moment, but only enough to talk.

"Oh no, your punishment isn't quite over yet...You're gonna have to deal with me for a little while longer."

The Dalmatian continued to torture his mate, making her squeal and writhe at his touch.

"Ahh, sweet revenge..."

"Okay, Marshall, hahaha, I've learned my, hehehe, lesson! Ohh, just make it stop! Ghahhhh!"

*sigh* "Okay, I guess that's enough punishment."

He moved his tongue to her nose, and lovingly licked it.

Skye threw her lips onto Marshall's, and the Dalmatian moaned slightly at the special surprise. It would've lasted longer, but they were interrupted by a small yawn from the Cockapoo.

"Uh oh; looks like someone needs to get some rest."

Marshall went right up to her side, and made a flat surface for her to climb up onto.

"Where to, my lovely patient?"

"Hmm...How about my pup house?"

"Okay, pup house it is!"

The Dalmatian walked out of the Lookout, and across the concrete to her desired resting site. Once inside, he laid her down on her bed. Standing near the entrance, he held his pup tag in front of his paw.

"If you need anything, I'm just a call away."

With that, he was about to turn and leave. But Skye had other plans for him.

"Oh, Doctor? I'm feeling a bit cold; maybe you should stay here with me and keep me comfortable."

Marshall laughed, and sealed the door to her pup house. Skye shifted over to make room for her mate, and he curled up around her keeping her nice and warm.

"Thanks, Doctor. You really know how to take care of your patients."

"Heheh, I try."

It didn't take long for the two pups to fall asleep in each other's arms, safe and sound. But across the yard, it was a very different story.

* * *

"Hey Chase? It's Ryder. I just wanted to talk to you Can you please open up?"

*sniff* "Nobody loves me anymore!"

"Chase, can you please talk to me? I want to help you."

"You're just like the rest of them! Just leave me! Go ahead; I know you want nothing to do with me. I'm worthless."

And this is where Ryder was stuck. He wanted a chance to talk to the police pup, but a cold metal door stood in his way.

*sigh* "What do I need to do so that you'll come out here and talk to me, Chase?"

Suddenly, the door opened.

*sniff* "Why are you still here? You're supposed to hate me...I'm a bad pup."

Ryder gently picked the Shepherd up, and nestled him in his arms.

"Chase, no matter what you've done, you're still my pup, and I still love you."

"But Ryder, Marshall's right...I tried to kill him...I-I'm so lost...and broken..."

The brown-haired boy stroked his police pup behind the ears.

"I can't speak for what you've done, but the fact that you were able to come out and talk to me means that you must still care about them...Is that true?"

Chase couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"I-I want nothing more than to have things the way the that they used to be...I miss Marshall so much, and Rocky, and Skye..."

The Shepherd paused; her name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"They're so far gone...They won't let me reach out...I want someone to care for, but..."

Chase was sobbing, soaking Ryder's arm in despair.

"-I-I always end up hurting them..."

Ryder thought hard, trying to think of a way to approach the volatile problem.

"...Do you think there's maybe a way that you can apologize to the pups, so they know that you want things to change?"

"...I could write a letter...and you would give it to them..."

"Chase, I think that's a a great idea."

A small glimmer of hope sparked in the police pup's eyes. He licked Ryder's face, and the brown-haired boy set Chase inside of his pup house.

"Thanks, Ryder. You're the best!"

Ryder laughed, and patted Chase's head.

"No problem, buddy. I'll let you get working on that letter now."

The Shepherd sealed the door behind Ryder, and grabbed a piece of paper.

"Hmm, maybe a little music would help me think."

Chase walked over to his toy box and dug out the old radio that Rocky found for him a while back. He turned the knob, and was surprised to see that it still worked. He spent a few minutes trying to find a station, but the antenna was pretty beat up. Eventually, he found one station that came in crystal clear, but it was on commercial. Sighing, he set the radio down next to him, and began thinking of what to write. He spoke his ideas out loud to help himself think.

"...'I'm not the same pup that you now know me as'...no, that's no good. How about, 'I want to change who I am?'...no, not powerful enough...Man, I don't know what to say..."

His thoughts were interrupted by his radio switching back to music. He paused to listen to what the song might be.

"...Here's Kelly Clarkson's, 'Already Gone'..."

Not recognizing the song, he listened curiously to see what it was like.

 _"Remember all the things we wanted_

 _Now all our memories, they're haunted_

 _We were always meant to say goodbye..."_

Chase immediately felt his heart stir. This song...made him feel sad. Even still, he listened on.

 _"E_ _ven with our fists held high_

 _It never would have worked out right, yeah_

 _We were never meant for do or die_

 _I didn't want us to burn out_

 _I didn't come here to hurt you, now I can't stop"_

The Shepherd felt a tear prick his eye as the chorus began.

"These words...they're me..."

 _"I want you to know_

 _That it doesn't matter_

 _Where we take this road_

 _But someone's gotta go_

 _And I want you to know_

 _You couldn't have loved me better_

 _But I want you to move on_

 _So I'm already gone"_

Chase was coming closer to crying with each line, and he set the paper to the side, now only focused on the song.

 _"Looking at you makes it harder_

 _But I know that you'll find another_

 _That doesn't always make you wanna cry_

 _It started with the perfect kiss then_

 _We could feel the poison set in_

 _"Perfect" couldn't keep this love alive_

 _You know that I love you so_

 _I love you enough to let you go"_

Chase couldn't hold back; this song was ripping open the gaping wound that Ryder had helped to patch. It hurt so bad...

 _"I want you to know_

 _T_ _hat it doesn't matter_

 _Where we take this road_

 _But someone's gotta go_

 _And I want you to know_

 _You couldn't have loved me better_

 _But I want you to move on_

 _So I'm already gone"_

Chase collapsed in a pile of tears. The words, were so true...It seemed as if they were written about his life.

 _And I'm already gone, I'm already gone_

 _You can't make it feel right_

 _When you know that it's wrong_

 _I'm already gone, already gone_

 _There's no moving on_

 _So I'm already gone"_

The pain...It didn't stop...

 _"Ah already gone, already gone, already gone_

 _A_ _h already gone, already gone, already gone_

 _Remember all the things we wanted_

 _Now all our memories, they're haunted_

 _We were always meant to say goodbye_

 _I want you to know_

 _T_ _hat it doesn't matter_

 _Where we take this road_

 _But someone's gotta go_

 _And I want you to know_

 _You couldn't have loved me better_

 _But I want you to move on_

 _So I'm already gone_

 _And I'm already gone, I'm already gone_

 _You can't make it feel right_

 _When you know that it's wrong_

 _I'm already gone, already gone_

 _There's no moving on_

 _So I'm already gone"_

Chase turned the radio off, feeling his wet paw on the cool knob. He put it back in his toy box, but when he did, he noticed two small boxes that sat next to each other. One was labeled, "My Best Friend" and the other, "My Mate". Hesitantly, he removed the boxes, and set one of them down on the floor. He opened the "My Best Friend" box, and right on top was a picture from when the bat got loose at City Hall. He and Marshall were trapped underneath his own police net, and both pups were smiling. Chase looked at the caption underneath the photo. It read, "Well, that didn't go so well!"

Chase laughed sadly.

"...Marshall...We were so close...I'm sorry, buddy..."

Setting the picture to the side, opened the "My Mate" box, and pulled the first picture out. It was a photo from a while back, when Skye had to rescue Alex from being blown away on Zuma's kite surfer. In the picture, he and Skye were talking, and Chase was blushing madly. The caption read, "I was so worried! I mean, uh...Excellent flying!"

Chase could barely finish the caption without breaking down once more. The Shepherd just dropped the picture, and slumped down onto his bed, stifling a whimper.

"What happened to you, Chase? Why did everyone leave?...Why don't they love me anymore?"

Blinded by his tears, the police pup closed his eyes, and tried to forget his life. All of the heartache, all of the loss, all of the pain...

He was eventually lulled to sleep by his own sobs, allowing him to escape the sheer burden of his existence.

 _"Is my life worth trying for?..."_

* * *

 **Well there it is! All 11,000 words of it :-D Man, it has been so much fun; I can hardly believe that summer's already over! It's hard to think that this story has been going for nearly 3 months! I wanted to give a HUGE shout out to my friend xKovu 01; they've been helping me out since the very beginning, and without them, I don't know where the story would've gone :-) I want to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me, and letting me know that you like what I'm doing :-) This is goodbye, but not for forever...more like, so long :-D I hope to see you all soon!**

 **-carbonn15**


	22. Apprehension

**Wow...it's been a long journey. First off, thanks for sticking with me. The positive messages, reviews, and general feedback have been an amazing help; if I didn't have that safety net, it would've been a lot harder to find motivation to roll out this update. Second, I do have a good chunk of the next chapter pre-typed to cut down on stress and so the pieces would align better once I split them up into their own individual chapters. I don't have a set schedule, so I guess I'll see where I can maybe slip in another upload in the near future. Third, I had a question for you guys about the non-story related updates. As you may have noticed, I went ahead and deleted all of them from the site, but I saved a copy of them. What would be the best way for you guys to read them? After seeing how long and intimidating they looked when I pasted them straight into my profile, I took them out, so I want to know if there are any alternative options. I could put a PasteBin link in my profile that would just take you to a wall of text, but I don't really like that. The thing that was nice about having them broken up into "chapters" is that they were much more manageable to read. I suppose I could just read through the updates and make a compact list of all the important information, but hey, it's for you guys, let me know what works best for you :) I really hope this chapter lives up to the previous ones. I've been having massive anxiety trying to make sure the cracks were filled and making the transition as seamless as possible, but I figured that getting the chapter out would probably be more beneficial, instead of nitpicking for days and days. I feel like I had more to say, but my brain is absolutely fried :P Even if it's not my best work, I hope you enjoy it. Feedback is appreciated, as always!**

 **(Update: I seem to be having issues with line breaks not showing up at certain places, so you might have to read a bit more closely if they aren't appearing for you guys, either. I apologize for that.)**

* * *

 _In Chase's Dream (the events in the dream are set about 1 hour after Ryder would've left in the previous chapter)..._

"And...done."

Chase finished the final line of his letter, and he let the pen fall from his mouth. Before him was a story...a story of pain, misery, and rejection. His fragile puppy heart was cracked, and he allowed its contents to bleed throughout each and every word, decorating the entirety of the letter with complete honesty and sadness. Feeling apprehensive, but satisfied, he rolled his paw over a pad of ink, and stamped his paw print at the bottom. The Shepherd took a deep breath, and rolled the letter up into his mouth. Opening the door to his pup house, he cautiously looked around to ensure that there were no pups around. Once he was satisfied that it was safe to come out, he made his way over to the Lookout, where Ryder was tuning up his ATV. Setting the letter down, he coughed to get Ryder's attention.

The brown-haired boy set his wrench down and slid out from underneath his vehicle.

"Oh, hey Chase! How did the letter go?"

"...I don't know, Ryder; I wrote down everything I wanted to say, but...what if the pups don't believe me? What if they don't really think I want to change?"

Ryder knelt down in front of his police pup, and gently placed his hand on the Shepherd's head.

"...do you mind if I take a look at it?"

Chase whimpered sadly before nuzzling the roll of paper, indicating his approval. Ryder picked it up and unfurled it, spending a generous amount of time reading its contents. The tan and brown pup couldn't help but feel fear and anxiety; this letter was potentially his last chance to mend his relationship with his friends. He trembled and sniffled as Ryder's eyes reached the bottom of the page. When Ryder looked up from the letter, he smiled at his pup.

"Chase, I think that it's wonderful; there's no need to feel scared about it."

The Shepherd lifted a paw from in front of his quivering face.

*sniff* "R-really? You, think it's...good enough to...?" His voice trailed off as Ryder stroked his perky ear.

"Now, I can't make any promises, but I think that you have a decent shot at winning back your friends."

That was enough to spark a small light in the police pup's eyes.

"Wow, I don't know what to say...Thank you Ryder, for being the only one who still believes in me. Even I stopped believing in myself."

"The only one you should be thanking is yourself, Chase. You're the one who wrote the letter, not me. I believe in you, but more importantly, you need to believe in yourself."

The brown-haired boy scratched the now-rejuvenated pup under his chin, and gave him a gentle hug.

"...I love you, Ryder...thanks."

"I love you too, Chase, but there's no time for thanks; you have some relations to fix!"

Chase licked Ryder's face before breaking the hug and scooping the letter back into his mouth. He smiled one last time before departing to potentially gamble his entire livelihood.

*sigh* "I sure hope Ryder's right...I know that it's fine, but I keep doubting myself."

* * *

The timid Shepherd wandered in the grassy yard of the Lookout, looking for any sign of the three pups that he so desperately wanted to come back to him. He longed for a hug, a nuzzle, a rub...any form of love and affection, really. But in order to get those, he would have to try and right his wrongs. He spotted a sleeping pup underneath the big oak tree, and looked closer at them. It was Zuma, peacefully snoozing away with a small smile on his face. Chase approached him, and gently tapped the Lab on his side.

"Hey Zuma...Zuma, wake up."

The sleepy pup just mumbled incoherently in his sleep, ignoring the Shepherd's pleas. Chase tried harder, and shook Zuma slightly.

"Zuma, wake up. Zuma? Hey, come on now."

Still no response. The police pup was running out of ideas, and he was growing impatient. In a last-ditch effort, Chase ran over to the Lookout to grab his pup pack, and called out his megaphone. While shaking Zuma, he shouted into Zuma's ear.

"WAKE UP, ZUMA!"

The startled Lab yipped suddenly and quickly jumped to his paws, growling.

"Not cool, dude! What was that about?!"

Chase bit his lip, and retracted his megaphone.

"I, I'm sorry, Zuma. I just needed to-"

"Just needed to what!? Wuin a perfectly good nap for me? What gives, dude? This bettew be good."

Chase took a deep breath, and began to explain his situation.

"Well, I wrote this letter to explain how I'm feeling, and I need to show it to Rocky, Marshall, and Skye. Where are they right now?"

Zuma's face twisted when he heard this.

"Weally, dude? You wrote a letter to do the talking for you? Why can't you just gwow up and do it yourself?"

The Shepherd was beginning to get upset with him, but he tried to keep his composure.

"...I tried that already...It didn't work. That's why I wrote this letter, because talking to them just made things worse."

"No kidding! I heard that you gave Skye a wicked cut on her leg, and that Mawshall totally showed you up for it too."

Zuma wasn't making things easy for Chase. He was trying to keep it together, but he could feel himself beginning to slip.

"Zuma, can you please just tell me where they are? I really need to apologize to them."

"Dude, it's going to take more than a simple apology to win them back; you know that, right?"

"Arrggh! Zuma, where are they?!"

"Whoa, chill, dude! You don't need to get all angwy at me!

"It's a simple question, Zuma! Just answer me!"

Hostility was slowly beginning to cloud the Shepherd's vision, and in no time at all, he had the Lab pinned against the grass, pressing for an answer.

"I need an answer! Where are they!?"

Zuma saw the fierce, primitive glow of anger shining through the haze, and he was starting to get scared.

"Chase! What are you doing?! Dude, just calm down! I'm not the bad guy! Skye and Mawshall went down to the Park, and Wocky's off doing his daily wecycling rounds!"

The Shepherd quickly realized what he had done, and looked down at the quivering lab beneath him. He had let it happen again; his anger and frustration had gotten the better of him. Seeing the steady trickle of tears escaping from Zuma's eyes, he got off of the brown pup, but the Lab stayed on the ground.

"Dude. I thought you were gonna kill me! How do you expect to get anywhere with the othew pups if this is how you act?"

"Zuma, I'm sorry...I know that I don't have much of a chance with any of you pups, but I still have to try..."

The Chocolate Lab was now on his feet, his expression more gentle now. Chase looked him in the eyes, but Zuma dropped his head, unable to maintain eye contact. The Shepherd noted that he wasn't walking away.

 _"...this might be my first opportunity to start over…"_

"Listen, Zuma...I know that I've hurt all you pups in different ways, and you have every right to ignore me. But I don't want to be the bad guy any more. I'm through with hurting you guys, and I want things to be like the way they used to...do you believe me, Zuma?"

The Lab continued to look down at the ground, but there was a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"...dude...you'we supposed to be our leader, the police pup that protects evewyone, and keeps Adventuwe Bay safe..."

Zuma had abandoned his critical tone, but instead, he sounded disappointed.

"I know, Zuma...I know that what I've done goes against everything I'm supposed to stand for...I understand that I've done nothing but bad, but everyone can change...and I want to change..."

There was a long silence as the Chocolate Lab thought about what Chase said.

"...I...I just...I'm sorry, Chase...if you can get the othew pups to believe you, I might change my mind..."

The Shepherd felt a tear brush his cheek as he looked at the brown pup...How was he supposed to convince Marshall, Rocky, and Skye if Zuma wouldn't believe him? He wiped his eye with the back of his paw, and felt himself beginning to walk away.

"...thanks anyways, Zuma..."

The Lab watched as Chase slumped away, feeling slightly guilty about what he had said to him. Zuma believed in change, but he had to see it first.

* * *

Chase awoke with a start, panting heavily. After looking around, he slowly brought his paw up to his face. It was cool and clammy, with little beads of moisture between his toes.

*sigh* "It was only a dream..."

The relieved Shepherd stood up, and walked over to the sheet of paper that was left blank. As he began to recollect the words that were written in his dream, he started to doubt himself.

"What if those weren't the right words? I mean, Zuma didn't believe me, and I didn't even hurt him directly...Would any of the other pups...Rocky...Marshall...Skye...?"

The more he thought about it, the less he believed in himself. But quickly, Chase's rational side kicked in.

"Get ahold of yourself, Chase. What can I do about this?"

His mind drifted back to the time when he ran away to the woods, after seeing Marshall sleeping with Skye in her pup house. He was so angry...yet that place, it calmed him. Chase knew where he needed to go for some inspiration. Without wasting a single second, the Shepherd streaked out of his pup house, past the other pups' houses, and off to the woods, where he would hopefully find what he was looking for.

* * *

 _Several minutes earlier…_

"And...done!"

Rocky backed away from the wall of his pup house, admiring his handiwork. The pictures of him, Marshall, and Skye were hung neatly in a row, each enclosed in a homemade frame. He smiled at the final outcome, and paused to retract his hammer and pincer.

"I wonder how Marshall and Skye are doing with putting their pictures up...maybe I should head over and see if they need any help!"

The recycling pup nodded in affirmation, and turned to open the door behind him. As he exited his pup house, a furry figure streaked towards him. Before Rocky had time to react, the speeding pup crashed into him, sending them and several items sprawling onto the nearby grass.

"Whoa-oa-oa! Hey, watch it!"

Opening his eyes after the impact, Rocky saw that the pup on the ground was none other than Chase. Slightly surprised to see him, Rocky picked himself up, but never took his eyes off of the Shepherd. Without saying a single word, Chase quickly retrieved the few items that he had been carrying, and continued on his way. He seemed to be heading toward the area of trees behind the Lookout, but Rocky didn't question it. These past few days, the pups knew that Chase tended to act skittish when encountered, and they never gave it a second thought. After all, they didn't care what he was doing most of the time. Rocky just brushed himself off, and walked over to Skye's pup house. However, when he arrived, he was surprised to see Marshall wearing his medic gear, and Skye's leg in a bandage. He was helping Skye rearrange the rest of her pup house to complement the new pictures while she laid down, cuddling Mr. Teddy.

"Marshall! Skye! What happened? Why is your leg bandaged?"

Both pups turned around to see a very concerned Rocky, and Marshall's face turned from a happy smile, to a grim scowl.

"Chase came out of his pup house while we were hanging up our pictures, and Skye was already done and outside. He went up to her and started begging for her to come back to him, and when Skye told him no, he grabbed onto her leg and wouldn't let go. I had to tear him off of Skye and yell at him for hurting her. I called Ryder down for help, but Chase left before Ryder got down from the Lookout. When I went over to Skye's leg, I saw that it was bleeding, and..." The Dalmatian's jaw was clenched, and he was trying hard not to just blow up and go after Chase. He slammed his paw down on the floor in anger, and immediately whimpered in pain. He looked down, and forgot that his paw was still injured. Ruby beads were forming along the series of cuts, and Rocky had a small heart attack.

"Marshall! You're hurt too!? What did he do to you?! I swear, I'm gonna rip his he-"

"Rocky, Chase didn't hurt me. I was really mad at him, and I was ready to protect Skye if he came at her again, and my paw was so tense that I kinda, heh, split the concrete."

The mix's jaw dropped as he approached Marshall's injured paw. Looking at it, his expression was of complete awe.

"Hold on...you did what? You, split concrete with your paw?!"

The Dalmatian gave a bashful chuckle, admiring his apparent strength in that situation.

"Heheh, I guess I did."

Rocky shook his head in disbelief, sporting an incredulous grin on his face.

"Holy crap, Marshall! That must've scared the hell out of Chase!"

"I think it scared me more!"

Skye piped up from just behind the Dalmatian, looking slightly worried about his condition. Marshall nuzzled her to calm her down.

"I'm okay, Skye. It's still a bit raw from before, but it's fine. Now, where do you want this squeaky bone?"

The Cockapoo cooed at her mate's touch, and his adorable bravery.

"Heheh, you can put it over in the corner there; it's a bit of an eyesore."

He walked over to the corner she gestured to, and he placed the toy just as she said.

"How's that, Skye? Ohh, I think it needs to go a little to the left...no, wait! The right! Oh, girls are so much better at this!"

Skye giggled at his silliness, and dismissed his efforts with a wave of her paw.

"Oh, Marshall! It's just a toy, silly! It looks just fine where it is."

The spotted pup pretended to wipe his face with his paw, cracking a smile.

"Phew! I was beginning to think that my decorating skills weren't up to par!"

As the two pups laughed at Marshall's little situation, the mix was off standing by the door, fuming at what Chase had done to Skye, and what he made Marshall do because of his refusal to back down. Something had to be done, and he knew just where to go.

"Guys, I have to go. I, have something to do."

Marshall and Skye saw the bitter look on Rocky's face, and immediately knew what he meant.

"Rocky, if you're thinking about getting back at Chase for what he did to Skye, it's not wo-"

"Marshall, on my way over here, Chase ran into me, and he was holding a piece of paper. He was heading off to the woods behind the Lookout, and I know where he is. This is my chance to finally talk with him, one on one, with no one's life at risk. You guys...if Ryder asks where I am, tell him I'm off recycling in town. If I'm not back by sunset, get Ryder."

And before either pup could say anything, the mix was out the door, and off to confront the Shepherd which had tormented the lives of him and his friends for far too long. He had a feeling that something unexpected was going to happen...

* * *

Chase found himself wandering through the woods, admiring the vibrant treetops, and hearing the wind whoosh through their branches. The scenery was beautiful, but his reason for visiting wouldn't allow him to enjoy it. The Shepherd stepped through the familiar grove, and into the clearing where much had taken place only a short while ago. Just a stone's throw away was the very same pond that had nearly killed him, in his efforts to save the squirrel...the little squirrel that he...

Chase didn't want to think about it. He was here on a different agenda. Pausing to grab the pen hanging from his collar, he set the roll of paper down and used some rocks to keep it spread out. As he thought about what to say, the Shepherd tapped the tip of his nose with the pen, looking around him for a source of inspiration. He scratched a couple ideas down, but he couldn't piece together anything that sounded right. As he continued to scavenge his mind for the right words, a shrill sound pierced his ears. Quickly looking toward the source of it, he spotted a rather large eagle sitting high atop a branch, preparing to feed its young. In her beak, Chase saw a small, gray creature, with a limp and slender tail. Its fur was matted and wiry, almost as if it had gotten wet...

"The squirrel! It's the squirrel!"

The Shepherd looked on as the eagle babies were hopping and chirping, desperate for a taste of its flesh. Chase felt something begin to well up inside of him...

"If danger is near, just give a yelp! The PAW Patrol is here to help!"

He was being presented with a situation...an opportunity to right his wrong...

"He's in trouble! He needs my help!"

Without thinking, Chase charged towards the tree housing the eagle, and propelled his little Shepherd body high enough to clear a mountain. He snagged a branch with his teeth, and held on as his momentum tried to carry him forward. Letting his body sway to a stop, he reached up and wrapped his paws around the branch, hoisting himself up. Chase looked upward, and saw an absolute mess of branches between him and his goal. Gazing forward, he took a deep breath, and coiled his body. The Shepherd leaped again, neatly landing on a thicker branch. He repeated this method, steadily staircasing his way up to the eagle's nest. Occasionally a shriek would echo out, encouraging Chase to move with greater haste. In a matter of minutes, he had made his way up to the final branch. There was one single jump between him and the squirrel. The time was now.

The courageous Shepherd let out a howl, and sprung forward. His body seemed as light and kinetic as a spring, and Chase effortlessly cleared the gap, landing solidly inside the eagle's nest.

"Give...me...the...squirrel..."

A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat, catching the large bird off guard. Shaken, but not deterred, she opened her beak and let out perhaps the loudest sound that Chase's ears had ever experienced. He flinched, and covered his incredibly sensitive ears as the audible assault struck him. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to see that the eagle had dropped the squirrel from her beak. Ears ringing, and pulse pounding, he surged forward, grabbing it in his mouth, and ramming his head into the eagle's breast. She took a few steps back, but didn't budge. This only served to aggravate her further, and out of nowhere, Chase felt talons grab around his body. Gasping, he cried out as the eagle lighted, and flexed her powerful wings to bend the very air to her will. As he began to see nothing but the tops of the trees, he acted quickly. Before he was carried too high, Chase squirmed one of his legs out of her grasp, and transferred the squirrel to his paw. With his mouth now free, he growled, and sunk his teeth into the rigid ankle of the eagle. A crack was heard, and she shrieked out, releasing her grip on the Shepherd. Chase felt himself begin to plummet toward the trees, and he began to close his eyes, nearly ready to give up.

 _"There's no way I'll survive this fall...I guess it's all over now...Goodbye, Adventure Bay...Goodbye, PAW Patrol...I'm sorry, that I never got to say sorry..."_

As the green leaves rushed toward his field of vision, he felt them rush past him like a stiff, but forgiving net. The network of smaller branches and thick leaves slowed his fall significantly, but sent him tumbling in all directions. In futility, he stuck a free paw out, hoping to maybe catch a single branch, but the Shepherd had all but given up at this point. Saying his prayers, and wishing his goodbyes, he...

*THUNK*

His paw struck something, and the speed of his fall was enough to dig his claws deep into it. His shoulder took the brunt of the impact, being carried down along with the rest of his body. The Shepherd howled as he felt the joint disconnect with a sickening pop. Feeling his body lurch to a sudden halt, he weakly opened his eyes. His vision was awash with red, and the corners of its field were pulsing. His leg hung limply, stuck into the branch, which left him dangling for dear life. Somewhere above him, he heard the familiar call of the eagle, who sounded pained. A second later, he could feel a sudden back-pressure of air rush past him, and not a moment sooner, the enraged flying predator was almost upon him. Summoning his last shred of strength, he howled, and yanked his claws from the wood, popping his shoulder back into socket, and also freeing his leg. Squirrel in paw, and vision fading, Chase felt a lovely rush of air whistling past his face. He stuck his paws out in front of him, streamlining his body in preparation for impact for whatever he happened to hit. He took one last breath...and...

A surge of water pushed its way around him, cushioning his descent. The force of hitting the water nearly knocked the Shepherd unconscious, but somehow, he managed to stay awake. His one leg was completely numb and limp from its dislocation, but with his other two free paws, he weakly pulled himself up...and up...and broke the surface of the water.

Gasping violently, he trod to the edge of the deep pool, and dragged his body onto the bank. His strength began to fail him; still tenderly holding the dead squirrel in his paw, he dropped his body onto the firm, dry ground. A thin layer of soft moss cradled his head, ensuring that he would be comfortable as he felt himself slip away.

"You're safe now, friend...rest easy..."

And then, the world grew dark.

* * *

Rocky let his fury drive his legs forward, propelling him faster and faster toward his destination. He had to find Chase, and once and for all, get everything sorted out. It meant himself, his brother, and the rest of the pups would be safe at last. No more pain, no more worrying, and no more sadness.

The mix quickly reached the leading edge of the woods, and stopped to smell the air. His nose wasn't as sensitive as Marshall's, but he could still pick up on some smells. As a sudden breeze jostled him, he caught a fleeting scent of...blood. He wasn't sure if the blood was from another animal, or what it was from, but he already had a mission. Chase needed to be confronted, and that was Rocky's sole focus at the moment. He shook his head to clear the odor from his nostrils, and bounded into the treeline.

He brushed his nose along the ground, trying to pick up a familiar scent that might point him in the right direction. The dirt was fairly dry, making tracks all but nonexistent, so Rocky's nose was his next most valuable asset. He tried to find something, anything that could help him find the Shepherd, but his efforts were fruitless. Instead, Rocky sat down, and tried to think back to the time when he was forced to jump in to save Marshall from being killed.

"...Where did that happen?...What did it look like?...What did it smell like?..."

He spent a few moments painting a mental picture of the scene, with the deep, murky pond, the large, open clearing, behind a grove of trees...

"I got it!"

Rocky stuck his nose into the wind once more, allowing it to carry any critical information to his brain. He waited, as the wind shifted direction several times, until one particular gust gave him what he was looking for.

"I smell it! The pond!"

The mix remembered that the surface of the water was very dark, and there was a surplus of decomposing plant material underneath the surface. Its distinct odor was just sharp enough for Rocky to pick up on, and in an instant, he dashed off into the wind. If he wasn't so focused on smelling the earthy decomposing plant life, the mix may have noticed that the subtle scent of blood was present once more...

After several minutes of smelling and running, Rocky finally found the grove that housed the clearing. Without wasting a second, he burst through the trees, and looked around. His vision defaulted to a small piece of paper on the ground, spread by four little rocks in the corners. The mix approached it, and saw that there was writing on it. Curious, he peered closer, and tried to read it. He struggled to make out any legible words, due to its scratchy nature.

"This looks like something that Chase might've written; the paper seems to match the one he was carrying."

Upon closer observation, Rocky was able to decipher a few broken and disjointed lines of text.

"The Reason...not perfect...wish I didn't...never meant to...before I go..."

The mix read each phrase aloud, feeling...uncertain. When he looked up from the paper, his vision jumped to the pond, where he was met with quite a surprise. Laying on the dank edge of the water was none other than Chase, and he wasn't moving. Rocky wasn't sure how to react, considering that he walked in angered, and now the Shepherd was laying on the side of the pond, obviously unwell. He stayed where he was, and observed Chase's body for any sign that he needs help. The mix watched in slight horror as the motionless pup's chest was as still as the water. Knowing that he had to help, Rocky put his anger to the side, took a deep breath, and walked over to the Shepherd. He placed an ear to Chase's heart, and listened closely. Even for Rocky, who had quite excellent hearing, the pulses of blood were merely a whisper.

He rolled the Shepherd onto his side, and saw that there was a wet, furry object nestled in one of his paws. Ignoring it for now, he brushed his own paw over Chase's body, feeling for and broken bones or severe trauma. He was no medic pup, but every one of them was trained in basic first-aid, so he generally knew what to look for. He took note that one of Chase's shoulders felt swollen, and that one of his paws was definitely broken. Continuing his assessment, Rocky rolled him back over to check his pulse again. It was almost undetectable at this point, and Rocky knew that there was only one thing he could do. He placed both paws on Chase's chest, and applied a gentle pressure to check for any broken ribs. Upon releasing the pressure, his chest returned to its initial position, indicating that the Shepherd's ribs were intact. With slight hesitation, he placed his paws in the same place, and began to perform CPR.

"1, 2, 3…...13, 14, 15, breathe, Rocky."

After repeating the cycle once more time, Rocky placed his muzzle over Chase's, and exhaled deeply to inflate his lungs. After waiting a few seconds, he checked Chase's pulse once more. This time...it was dead silent. Rocky lifted his ear slowly, and processed the troubling information...

"I have to give it one more try..."

With despair already flooding his thoughts, Rocky placed his paws on Chase's chest once more time, and gave slower, bigger thrusts downward. As soon as he threw his weight down, the lifeless Shepherd sputtered and coughed violently. Rocky stopped immediately and rolled Chase back onto his side. Blood dripped from his mouth, and foamy water spewed out after each cough. After clearing some of the water and blood from his lungs, he heaved one last time, and vomited the rest of it up. Rocky patted his back, helping him to cough up and remaining liquid. Once his lungs were clear, Chase's breathing became more regular, and he was finally strong enough to open his eyes.

"...Ohhhh...nghh...huh?"

"Chase, it's Rocky...you were unconscious by the water, and you're hurt really badly. What happened?"

Before he answered, the Shepherd slowly raised his head, and lifted his paw to expose the furry wet object he was holding. He smiled weakly upon seeing that he still had it, and his energy seemed to return upon his relief.

"...this..."

Chase nudged it toward Rocky, who could now identify it as a young dead squirrel.

"...I...I killed it...angry...I came back for quiet...to write a letter...found it...eagle nest...saved it...we dropped from the sky...hit the water...it's safe now..."

The Shepherd was still breathing heavily, trying to recover from his ordeal. When Chase mentioned something about a letter, Rocky turned to retrieve the piece of paper that was laying on the ground. He brought it over to the battered Shepherd, and placed it in front of him.

"Is this what you were talking about, Chase? Is this the letter that you were going to write?"

The pup in question slowly nodded his head. Clearing his throat, he began to talk more fluently.

"I, came out here for a quiet place to think, away from you and the other pups. This place...it calms me, and it makes me happy. But I never got the chance to write the letter. It was supposed to explain how I feel, and how I want things to be."

He paused, looking directly into Rocky's eyes.

"Can I, ask you something?"

"Sure, Chase, what is it?"

"...Why? Why did you come out here? Why did you, save me?"

The mix took a moment to collect himself before sharing his thoughts.

"...I came out here to confront you about all that you've done to me, to Marshall, to Skye, to everyone. I came to finally settle the situation once and for all. If that meant a fight, I would've fought. If that meant a talk, I would've talked. Something had to be done, no matter what...I, I guess I've already accomplished my goal."

Rocky paused, and gently placed his paw on Chase's back.

"I didn't believe you...I was blinded by your past, and I didn't want to see the present. If what you say is true...that you saved this...dead squirrel, that you killed, just so it wasn't eaten by an eagle...how could I not? It's obvious that you're sincere, because why else would you have gone off and nearly got yourself killed just to save something that was already dead? You put yourself through hell and back, just to preserve its dignity. You have a heart, Chase...the heart of a Shepherd."

Chase felt tears begin to well up in his eyes...he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The very same pup that smashed him into the Lookout elevator, that beat him and knocked him senseless on numerous occasions to protect the ones that he loved, now considered him to be one of those pups.

"...R-R-Rocky? Can you, come here?"

The mix scooched a little closer to the teary-eyed Shepherd, waiting for him to say something. But instead, Chase reached over and pulled Rocky into an embrace. The gray pup rocked Chase gently as tears of happiness spilled from his eyes. After a few moments, Rocky released him, and began to focus more on Chase's injuries.

"Well, from what I can tell, you have a broken paw, and a really swollen shoulder, but everything else seems to be alright. Are you able to stand?"

The Shepherd looked apprehensive.

"I-I don't know...I can give it a try, I guess."

Rocky slipped his head underneath Chase's leg, and nudged it up onto his back to help him up. Chase slowly rose to his paws, but when he tried to take a step, his paw gave out, and he howled in pain as he crumpled to the ground.

"I can't walk at all, Rocky. It's my paw..."

The mix thought about what they could do.

"...Okay, Chase, I'm going out to the edge of the woods to call for Marshall, so he can bring his ambulance and his EMT gear. I want you to stay here, and don't try and walk anywhere. Got it?"

Chase nodded his head, cracking a little smile.

"Wow, Rocky! You really are protective...you're treating me like you treat Marshall."

Rocky narrowed his eyes, with an almost unnoticeable smile of his own.

"Don't push it, Shepherd."

And with that, Rocky left Chase on the ground, to go call for help. He made sure to memorize the way he took on the way in, so he had no problems finding his way out again. Once he broke out into the open, Rocky tapped his pup tag.

*blip blip* "Hey Marshall, it's Rocky."

"Marshall here. What's up? Did you...talk with him?"

"Well, I did, but not until I brought him back to life after he fell out of the sky from an eagle's grasp and landed in that deep, dirty pond..."

Marshall's jaw dropped as Rocky described the extent of Chase's accident.

"He's got a broken paw, and his shoulder is badly swollen and damaged. He's in rough shape. Can you bring your ambulance and EMT gear over to the edge of the woods? I can guide you in from there."

The Dalmatian's puzzled expression gave his thoughts away.

"I'll explain when you get here."

"Okay...I'm on my way. Marshall, out."

Marshall looked over at his mate, who was every bit as confused as he was. Her eyes were squinted, trying to put the pieces together.

"What was that about?"

Marshall threw his paws up in uncertainty.

"Apparently, Chase went and nearly got himself killed, and Rocky brought him back to life, and now he's asking me to bring my ambulance and medical gear out to help him."

"Wait...Rocky helped Chase? And now he wants you to come out and help Chase?"

The Dalmatian shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess. If he's as bad off as Rocky says...I can't believe I'm saying this...but he needs my help."

His mate looked as appalled as he did.

"...It's your call, Marshall. If it were me, I would've left him out there to die. There's nothing left of him worth saving."

"I dunno...Rocky sounded genuine. If he decided to help Chase, there must be a reason. He said that he would explain when I get there."

"Just don't get yourself killed."

"Trust me, if Rocky left him in one piece, something _must_ be different with him."

He walked over to her, and she leaned toward him, anticipating to be met with soft fuzzy lips. But instead, she felt a pair of hasty paws wrap around her for a brief moment, unwrapping just as quickly. Before she knew what had happened, Marshall was already out the door.

He hurriedly exited her pup house to go grab his medic gear. As he thought about what he was about to do, his mind was also focused on what had just happened.

 _Why did I do that? She was obviously expecting a kiss, so why didn't I kiss her? It...felt weird to me...but why? I've done it a million times, but why does this one feel different?_

Shaking his head, he rechanneled his focus to the task at hand. Skye could wait.

As he ambled over to his ambulance, he distracted himself by playing scenarios in his head. He was very unsure about the whole situation, but Rocky seemed okay with Chase, which felt weird to him. The Dalmatian wasn't sure that any amount of explaining would be able to justify Rocky's reasoning, but he had to go with what he knew; Chase was badly hurt, and Rocky asked him to help. It would be against his PAW Patrol duty to deny someone medical treatment, which right now, was the only reason that he found himself starting up his ambulance and riding off toward the woods.

"I sure hope Rocky's right about this."

* * *

 **Phew! After a year of being off, it's good to finally be back in the swing of things. The consistency of uploads may be a bit dicey still, as I'm primarily focused on remediating credits to graduate on time while also trying to improve my lifestyle and overall wellbeing. But I hope to, at the very least, be more consistent than I was before posting this chapter x3**

 **Also, I knew I was forgetting something! The one thing I wanted to mention was that I'm sure some of you have noticed a few of the nasty reviews people have been leaving me. As a result, I was forced to start moderating guest reviews. I really hate to censor the comments people have, but people keep coming to me asking if I'm okay and if the comments are hurting me. To clear the air, no, they don't hurt me. In fact, I feel like they hurt the general audience more than they hurt me. The fact that they hurt anyone is reason enough to monitor them. Now, I want to be clear that only guest reviews that contain _no constructive feedback or criticism_ are going to be removed. If you hate the story and you have reasons to back it up, I respect that, no problem. If you have something negative to say, all I ask is that you have basis for your points. If someone wants to shit talk me, they'll have to go through the trouble of making an account before I'll give them a platform to speak. I will occasionally leave a few non-constructive guest reviews alone if I find them to be funny or just downright absurd, so we can all laugh about them :P There are a few guests that seem to fixate on my diaper-wearing, but find solace in the fact that they make me giggle, so I don't mess with them x3**

 **Anyways, I think that about wraps things up for now. As always, feel free to leave comments or feedback for me! I read every review and every PM I'm sent, so whichever method you prefer works fine for me :) Hope everyone has a good weekend coming up!**


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